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Hi lovelies, I hope you’re all doing well? You were all so supportive with the question I asked a few weeks ago that I thought I would come here and see if you have any advice for me now! As of tomorrow I am eight weeks out from the gastric bypass procedure. I have lost quite a bit of weight (2 stone) which I’m absolutely delighted about (and people are starting to notice which has been a really good feeling). However, I must have THE most stubborn self sabotaging streak because I have started to drink alcohol again (and not just on special occasions) as well as not following the food rules and not exercising. I can’t understand why I’m being like this because my family are so happy that I’ve done this and have been so supportive, and my friends (even though they don’t know about the operation are really starting to notice) so WHY am I doing this to myself? I just wondered if you guys knew of a reason I may have hit the wall so early (I really do not want to fail) and especially if you have any advice, book recommendations apps or anything that I might be able to do to help me get back on track and find my way again. Really appreciated as always thank you xx

I don't know if any of this will be helpful but, I'm three weeks post gastric sleeve. I wasn't hungry for the first 2 weeks. Today, I'm feeling a bit hungry but, as I'm still not able to eat anything but purees or soups and only about 4 tablespoons in one sitting. After surgery, the last thing you think about is food for the first week. I went the NHS route so a psychologist will be in touch at the 3 month mark I believe so I guess time will tell what support I will need. Personally, I think the psychologist should be involved from Day One, but that's just me. I also had 12 weeks of pre-op diet so I feel like I had to give up my coping strategy cold turkey. At this point, I just want solid food. Not like the old "I need comfort/I'm bored" type of eating, just different head hunger. It's definitely true you think of food differently. Now I think food is an inconvenience. Having to set a timer to remind me to get something other than water in my system is a different feeling. I never had to force myself to eat before. You mentioned your surgery is January 2025 so you will still have a few months I would use that time to see if you can find a therapist or a support group. And yes, it does get easier. For me it's going slowly, but it is still getting easier day by day.

Well loss still excruciatingly slow here! 😩 I had a weird thing with the scales this week. I was 97.4 kg, then the battery died in my scale, so changed it, to find I was up to 98.8 WTF!! Hubster weighed he was also 1.5kg above where he had been. We now don't know if pre or post battery change is correct! And I don't feel like I have lost any, still feeling very fat. Eating an average of 800 cals, but makes little difference if I eat much more or less. It's a bit over a month since surgery, and I have lost 8 kg or 16lbs, most of that in the first week. I am trying to meet water and protein goals, not always hitting it, but do often (avg 67gm from 70 goal) Despairing a bit here tbh.

Weighed myself today and saw that I lost weight after stabilizing for almost 3 months, yikes. So ice cream it was, took the kids for an after dinner ice cream run and decided to have one myself. I was reluctant and decided to lick some off theirs because I didn’t want to dump, but after driving around and deciding that it was a really good soft serve, and I would eat some and toss the rest away if needed, I went back and grabbed one. Fortunately the soft serve machine ran out of ice cream and I ended up with 1/3 of the portion (divine intervention I tell ya) so this was what I was left with, ate it all! (Also cracked the waffle cone that was sticking out and threw it away, nobody has time to dump this late)

Hi. I had surgery on Dec 2, 2024, one week before I turned 51. And same, wish I had done it sooner. I've seen that many our age and older have done this. I'm excited for what this year will hold for me! I'd love to hit my goal weight by Dec. 31, 2025!

Hey March buddies, Just checking on y’all. Hope everyone’s journey has been going smoothly. I will admit that I have been struggling to get both the recommended amount of protein AND water down each day. It feels like I have to choose one or the other, because there doesn’t seem to be adequate time to fit both. I’ve been prioritizing the protein, but I have my checkup with my surgeon in a couple weeks and hopefully they’ll have some tips. I’ve been lucky, I haven’t experienced dumping at all yet. I’m not a huge sweets person, but even when I’ve had dessert, I was okay. My stomach did not approve of fresh corn the last time I tried it, but that’s been the only thing to give me an issue. Popcorn at a movie was fine. My hair has thinned dramatically, and I’m praying it comes back. I already have alopecia and was prepared for this to happen—I’ve been wearing wigs all summer, but I miss my hair and I’m trying not to worry, but it’s hard. I’m down 65 pounds, but I’ve been in a stall for the last 3-4 weeks. I’m going to try to get up earlier to get more water in and I’m starting to weight train in the gym, which is something I’ve wanted to do for a while but just felt super self-conscious. Just gonna pull up my big girl panties and get to it. Hang in there, friends. Even with the challenges, I wouldn’t go back to what was before. I’m excited for a season change and for the weather to be cooler so that I can walk outside a little more. Sending good vibes to all of you!

Hi guys I didn't realise how obsessed with food I was until now! Head hunger is the worst for me and I am very always having to push it away! I eat 3 small half cup meals a day, I get in at least 70g of protein and at least 2 litres of fluid. A lot of it is due to my old bad habits like sitting in front of the TV, looking in shops for nice food, going out for the day. It was all focussed on what I would eat! Does it get any better? What was it like for you? Are you still going through this? Thank you!

I've been delaying going to my foot surgeon for this exact same reason. I am worried he'll bring up surgery again and that would freak me out. The surgery I would be getting requires a cast for 6 weeks! Dammit. Now for you, you can start walking when you're cleared. I remember after my breast Aug. I was back to crazy intense exercise after taking one week off (not recommending that tho, please get the clearance from your surgeon first). You will be able to start walking in no time and it'll all be okay. Hang in there!

Hi! Thank you for the detailed questions — I appreciate the time you took to break things down. Here's a full update from my side: 1. Weight Loss Progress: I’m currently losing around 1 kg per month. I know that’s on the slower end post-bypass, but I’m trying to be patient with the process. 2. Goal Weight: My initial goal was 75 kg, and I’ve now revised it to 65 kg. I haven’t updated my profile yet, but that’s the target I’m working toward. 3. Typical Daily Intake: I eat clean, home-cooked food, and I really focus on quality over quantity. Breakfast: 2 eggs and a small side like labneh or some veggies Snack: ½ scoop of whey protein or something light Lunch: Chicken breast or thigh (120–150g) with cooked dhal or sautéed vegetables Dinner: A high-protein meal like steak, paneer, or fish with non-starchy veg I do snack or “cheat” here and there — I’m no angel — but I genuinely try to make good choices most of the time. 4. Caloric and Macro Goals: I was aiming for 115g protein daily, but just yesterday my dietitian told me to reduce that to 65g. I’m adjusting and seeing how my body responds. I try to stay between 1000–1200 kcal, but again, I focus more on food quality than strict numbers. 5. How I Track: I track everything using ChatGPT, not traditional apps like MyFitnessPal. I log my food manually, with weights in grams, and I try to stay mindful and consistent. 6. Activity Level: My workouts have reduced lately. I try to weight train twice a week, and I walk or move throughout the day, but I’ll admit I’ve been slacking a bit. I’m trying to get back on track. 7. Mental State (the honest part): Physically, I look fantastic. But mentally, I feel like I’m failing. I have really bad anxiety that I’m doing something wrong — that I should’ve reached my goal already — and that maybe I’m overeating without realizing it. This fear honestly clouds my progress. I know I’m not alone in this, and I’m trying to work through it. Any advice, especially from others who’ve had slow progress or battled this anxiety, would mean a lot.

I can’t wait to see all of the dishes being made this week!

I’ve still got my fingers crossed for my brows. Have a few coming in but they seem finer. I’m patchy. Lost some of my brows from a combination of following those micro fine brows of the 80s & then a skin infection. Get my brows micro bladed which is great (about 5 years ago) but I’d still like some more of my own brow hairs as well. The hair loss with the weight loss is an acceleration of your natural hair loss cycle not a permanent loss. So you’re just shedding hair you would usually be shedding in your normal cycle more quickly. People lose different amounts, some more than others for about 3 or so months from around months 3 or 4. Doesn’t seem to differ if people take supplements or not. Certainly won’t hurt @Mskmartin & it may make your new growth stronger.

honestly, you really just have to white-knuckle it if you are looking to adopt a low-carb diet long term. it takes about 3-4 days, but if you can get through it, it's soooooooooo much easier going forward. the cravings are no longer as intense and its easier to stick to low-carb. keep in mind though, that if you indulge at any point in time you will likely have to go through another 3-4 days to tame the beast again....which is why as soon as you pass the "no-carb-craving-point" for YOU, then its in your best interest to stay there (i.e, don't eat have high-carb meals, like ever....especially if you have a self-proclaimed addiction to them). with that said, it takes ALOT of dedication and self control to make it a lifestyle. so really, its not that sustainable for the majority of the human race. i myself was only able to keep it up for about 2-ish years, and i gave up after i had a piece of Mr.'s homemade bread, lol. good luck! ❤️

Ooh that’s great to hear about the dented in incision being okay, thank you. The NP said she is not overly concerned but I still feel more confident hearing stuff about the actual surgical stuff from the surgeons. Wow. I’m 3 weeks too and I wouldn’t even dare attempt jeans yet. I still wear my binder if I’m going further than to do grocery pickup. Glad to hear your are okay though. Do you think it would help to get your restrictions in writing from your Dr before that big move? You really don’t want them making you feel pressured to the point you do something to hurt yourself. I think 16 days in 3 weeks is great. That’s over 5 pounds a week!!

A few of us have only told our most supportive friends and family before we had the surgery. I personally didn't need any of the negativity that comes from worried others, people who think they know about the surgery or the one person that I know who failed with a sleeve. I find that people will post things on facebook that they might not say to your face. If they did, you would get a chance to ask why they felt you may be the same as them. It is a brutal test to see if you can loose this big amount of weight pre surgery but plenty people have managed it. I had a 3 week liver shrink diet. I cursed that surgeon every day of it. AND I was paying for the privilege. I very badly wanted the surgery, my life depended on it. Thats what got me through. You will have to find the disipline from somewhere and start as soon as you can. Start moving more, walking was my go to. Started small and ended up finding the world. Find a tracker you can use every day. Set yourself a reasonable calorie limit. Log everything you eat and drink. Good or bad. I still do it, I use Fat Secret. There are lots of other free sites. Eat fresh food, home cooked. You know the calories then. Plan your food and buy it in. That way you will never be tempted to get a take out Its a test but you can get there. Keep on this site, keep talking to us.

Hey girl, I’m four weeks post-op and I have found it really hard to swallow cum too. I think my tummy can’t handle it anymore. Idk maybe I should wait longer and see if this is still the case. 😬

A few things stood out to me about your post. 1137 calories is oddly specific. Since most people can't be that accurate with their food intake, I'm curious why you used this specific number? Can you elaborate? For example, most food logging software is only accurate within about 10% plus or minus, even if you are really meticulous with weighing everything. Keep in mind as well that if you are eating very many processed foods, Manufacturers are given a pretty wide latitude in terms of the listed calories, so those aren't near as accurate is you might think. Most people drastically underestimate their overall calorie consumption by as much as 20 to 25%, even if they are logging their food. There are a number of reasons, but things like guestimating certain amounts, using "average" calorie amounts for some items, and not counting certain types of foods are common errors. In short, you may actually be eating a lot more than you think. I'm also curious how you came to the conclusion that 1137 calories per day is the proper amount for you to lose weight? It's entirely possible your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), is anywhere between say 900 and 1700 calories per day. While BMR is just one component of your overall calorie burn per day, it's typically the largest single component, even if you are super active. If you are only working out 3 days a week, I'd not put you into the super active category. My point is that while it's not super likely, it is possible that you are actually eating at maintenance right now. Especially if you are eating more than you think. (See points one and two.) Scales are a REALLY terrible way to track success since they don't account for variations in other tissues besides fat. Water, which is a huge component of your overall weight can fluctuate dramatically day-to-day. Ask yourself honestly, are your clothes fitting differently? There is a pretty good chance here that you have been losing fat, but made up for it by retaining water in your muscles. This is super common in people when they work out, especially when they start a new fitness routine. There's also a small possibility you are actually adding some muscle mass, especially if you are new to strength training. Muscle is much more dense than fat, so if you gain muscle and lose fat, your clothes will fit better, but you might weigh about the same. My advice is going to sound counter-intuitive, but I'd suggest adding 200-300 calories per day to your diet. Preferably lean protein. Do this for 4 weeks and then reassess where you're at. If you are really currently eating at maintenance (as you might think from weeks of no loss), then you would be expected to gain a tiny bit in the next 4 weeks. If it's as I suspect and you're actually eating too little right now, eating a little more may actually up your metabolic rate as well as change your hormone balance. This could be just the thing to kickstart some fat loss in the next 4 weeks. Best of luck whatever you decide.

@MrBeeswax I feel that no matter which surgery you receive when we suffer from the disease of obesity and we detour from eating properly then we're gonna experience weight gain. Obesity bodies are different than regular bodies who metabolize food normally. We who suffer from obesity have a metabolic disease, so when we get surgery and start back creeping in those "comfort and emotional eating foods" that we KNOW our body loves to store FAT with such as chips, cakes, cookies, unhealthy CARBS, refined sugars, just SUGARs period in access then we're gonna regain unfortunately we have a horrible disease that requires very proper planning for success. I lost a lot of weight really fast with VSG and I credit my success to 1.Meal prepping for success 2. Being organized 3. Movement. i honestly don't think the type of surgery matters. its that HAND TO MOUTH MOVEMENT what are we putting in our mouths 😂

Wow!! Love this! You are rocking it! Major Wins! I do not own a scale, not good for my mental so I do not know where I am at, hopefully no stalls but if so not going to think much about it. I want to remain happy and stress free 😂. My 6 month post op is in NOV so we shall see. Like someone else on this post said we just have to do what's right like 90% of the time and everything will work itself out!

Creating a new thread because the other one has gotten really long. So, here are my before and currents to keep the topic moving. Current as of last week:

My recovery from the surgery was really easy. I was a Sleep patient for seven years and then I converted to the Sadie. They did repair two hernia while they were in there and those killed me for weeks on end, but the incisions for the conversion in those areas, I had no pain whatsoever. In fact, I didn’t even feel like I had a surgery because being a veteran sleeve patient The amount of food I could eat did not change after the conversion.

My favorite tofu dishes are either agadashi tofu ( firm tofu, drain, pat it dry, roll it in corn starch and bake or fry it) mix 2tbs soy sauce, water, mirin in a bowl with 1 tsp ground fresh ginger, drop tofu in and eat immediately. or tofu tofrites: extra firm tofu (drain, pat dry and allow to dry wrapped in paper towels with a plate on top to squish out water, while you make the batter. I have a bunch of batters. Off the top of my head 1c almond meal/flour, 1/2 c coconut flakes, and like 2 tbs Cajun seasoning. Cut tofu into fat fry sizes and dunk it milk or a scrambled up egg then batter and place on baking sheet with parchment paper (or it sticks and is bad ) 15 min at 400 and or until outside is panko crispy. Salt if needed. Good as is or with dips also great with shrimp. Or tofu chocolate pie/ mouse: everyone likes this with different amounts of sugar (if I eat sugar I suddenly can’t think about anything but binge eating for a week). So I just use the darkest and most cocoa powder chocolate I can get and melt 1.5 cups and toss it in a blender with an already prepped block of silken tofu (prep, wrap it in paper towels 2-3 layers till try, so not squash silken to get out water). I then add a sprinkle of salt and a tap vanilla. Scrape it into cups or a pie tin…. Refrigerate for 2 hours. My sister makes this with a cup of sweetener… I skip. Pardon.. seriously all day I think about food. Get a notebook or notecards. Separate it into categories by how long it is to prepare. Start with your under 5 min, 30, or whatever times you need. Put carb, protein, etc info in the back. Make your recipe set. When you are bored with food… a crazy good recipe like sukiyaki with konjac noodles or muscles in a savory broth, spoil yourself. Or mix up your cards you have saved. Add cards as you like things. But make sure you have a ready supply of “crap I can make with on hand pantry stuff when I didn’t go shopping,” “crap I can make under 5 min, I am starving,” and “crap that freezes great for oamc food prep so you are never having to resort to crap take out.” You will feel like you’ve got the Bariatric eating down after you have your recipe book.

So a month and a half ago I started working 12 hour shifts overnight 3-4 days per week. Everyone said by now my body would adapt, but that hasn't happened. Instead, as time goes on, I'm getting more and more fatigued. I sleep all day and wake up feeling like I haven't slept at all. My joints hurt all the time. I talked to my doctor and my nutritionist and they said to get more rest, eat more dark leafy greens, increase my protein, and maybe drink some coffee. I've done all that and it's been no help at all. Then I was told "maybe you shouldn't do overnights" but that's not an option. It's a requirement for my job. Energy drinks don't work on me (I'm not caffeine sensitive so no matter how much I drink of it, I don't get any kind of a boost) and b-12 doesn't do anything for me, either. I'm at a loss now and I was hoping some of you might have some suggestions. Thanks in advance!!!

I wish it were that simple, but it's not. We have to keep in mind that our weight is made up of a lot more than just fat. There are multiple body composition models used, but the one I recommend most people use when trying to lose fat is a 3 compartment model that consists of the following: Fat Muscle Bone I recommend this one since it's easy for most people to visualise those 3 components. Keep in mind however that roughly 70-75% of muscle mass is water. Why is that important? Because sometimes we can be fooled by the scale into thinking we're not losing fat, or that we're gaining fat when we're not. Most likely, what you're seeing is simply changes in water weight. A really common scenario is for people on low calorie diets (like most people here), to see a plateau and think that means they need exercise more and/or eat less, but when they do that, they actually gain a bit according to the scale. The reality is they didn't gain fat, they retained more water. I think it's important to keep in mind that we all have something called a Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). This is the minimum number of calories your body needs simply to stay alive. It can be thought of as the number of calories you expend per day even if you were completely sedentary. BMR is a complicated subject, but on average, the bigger you are, the higher your BMR. Yes, it goes down as you lose fat, since fat is not completely metabolically inert, but fat loss does not have nearly the effect on BMR that losing muscle does. This is one of the main reasons bariatric patients are told to focus on protein intake because protein is needed to help prevent excessive muscle loss when dieting. More muscle = higher BMR = faster weight loss, or being able to eat more at goal weight The average BMR for women is ~1400 k/cal per day. Higher if you are taller or more muscular, lower if you are shorter and/or have lower muscle mass. Men, for obvious reasons tend to have a higher BMR that's more in the 1700 range. My point in telling you all of the above is that it's highly unlikely that someone eating 900 calories a day needs to eat even less if weight loss has stalled. Frankly, if that is the OP, then I'd actually recommend exactly the opposite: try upping your caloric intake a couple hundred k/cal per day and see what happens. I know it seems counter intuitive, but your body is not a simple machine where the calories in vs. calories out paradigm actually works. Happy to discuss more and provide additional info, but this post is already overly long. Best of luck.

Wow, amazing progress! Do be careful you monitor yourself for musculoskeletal issues such as shin splints, achilles tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, knee pain, etc. As I mentioned above, your cardiovascular system improves at a faster rate than your musculoskeletal system. Even if it "feels" somewhat easy for you to do this right now, you could be doing more than your bones, tendons & ligaments can handle yet. Running is a high impact activity and while that can actually be a good thing, we want to give our bodies time to get used to this extra load. As a rough guide, I'd say try to keep the amount of running about the same each day during the week, then only increase a little bit each week. (e.g. 15 mins this week, 18 next week, 21 the week after, etc.) Also, do be careful about going too fast too soon. I'm oversimplifying a lot here, but an ideal percentage of slow to faster running really should be roughly 80% slow and only 20% faster. This will significantly reduce injury and overtraining risk. After all, it's best to think about running as a lifelong activity. If you start going faster and faster each time just because you can, you're going to significantly increase your risk of injury, which could do a lot more harm than good to your fitness and health. Again, this is a drastic oversimplification, but I'd recommend trying to keep your heart rate below ~75% of your max heart rate when you run. If it's a lot above that, you're probably going too fast and should slow down. I could go into a lot of detail why this is the sweet spot in terms of heart rate, but suffice to say it's going to do a better job of increasing aerobic endurance than you'll get at faster paces. Most people that are new to running seem to balk at that idea since it seems a bit illogical that going slow is actually better. The truth is this has been shown over and over in scientific studies, as well as in the training plans of the worlds best runners. Best of luck!

Just to chime in to the original question posed by BrandiBird, yes, sometimes we hit a plateau and we must deal with that. If it goes on for a while, you may want to talk to your provider, and/or their dietician that you talked with prior to surgery. Plateau's happen now and again and you might not be doing anything wrong. Your body is adjusting to the new you that the surgery created. Try not to be down on yourself, and celebrate the little wins that you have every week, no matter how small or large it might be. And if you truly are depressed please seek some therapy, it is worth the cost to get someone who understands bariatrics. Wishing you well!!!