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So, I work with a lot of heavy lifting (wine boxes and loading them into u-boats, etc) and work has been accommodating to me, but I noticed that I was scheduled for a shift to basically go back into that on my 5th week from surgery date and I was advised to not do heavy lifting until the 6th week; is it going to cause complications? Or do you think it'll be manageable? 😬

Just make sure you're taking progress photos for yourself. It crazy to look back and comes in handy during a stall.

Those first weeks are definitely hard. I was SOOO tired of liquid and puree and soft foods. But, it does get better. Especially as the weight comes off and health issues improve. The compliments are definitely confidence boosting. Things that can help are talking to someone about how you're feeling. It's a very emotional time right now. I cried a lot too and my therapist was a tremendous help walking through all the emotions I was feeling. Thank you for sharing.

I don’t track my calories too closely because I was developing unhealthy restriction habits when I was tracking. While 1000 calories isn’t my forever, I also started with a lot more to lose than most people (410 lbs to 210 lbs currently) and it’s still a reasonable calorie intake for my current weight/exercise level. Also, more important than calories is keeping my Protein ratio high; my 1000 calories hovers somewhere around 60% protein, 20% fat, 20% carbs. Just keep in touch with your dietitian. As far as exercise is concerned, I split my workouts into 20 min cardio + 25ish min core training or yoga in the morning, and 10 min warmup + 45 min strength training in the afternoon and once a week I skip the lifting and swim laps for 45 min instead. Strength training is my happy place.

Thank you. Funny thing is that I honestly didn't put a whole lot of thought into it until a week ago. I stopped and thought wow I haven't had as much body pain - the knee pain and lower back pain has lessened by a lot. Of course it's not completely gone because age factors in, lol, but it's too the point I didn't have to really think about it. Longer walks and climbs up the stairs doesn't take the wind out of me and I live and commute in NYC so lots of walking and stairs to tackle. I had lost 100+ lbs a few years ago (took far longer of course) and maintained it for awhile until pandemic times when i went back to where I started. So to be back to before pandemic weight feels great. I'm hoping to hit the 100lb gone and get into onderland by end of year. *fingers crossed* Best of luck to you on your surgery, it's certainly life changing and worth it.

Every body is different and tolerance for pain is different. I was definitely uncomfortable as so much movement relies on the core, but not in a huge unbearable pain way. I was given 6 Percocets of which I only took 3 - 1 pill at night just to sleep better as I couldn't sleep on my side and it was not the best sleep on my back. If i needed anything else daytime, I just took tylenol. I did not get crazy pain until week 2 and a half when the pulling in my side nearly knocked me out. However that was remedied with a binder that I wore for just a few days until the worst of it passed. Now at 4 months post-op I barely remember those days and would change nothing.

Minimum an hour a day, 7 days a week. Sometimes 1.5 hours. But I also don’t love exercise so I had to find things I enjoyed or at least find tolerable. For me my top choices are swimming, water aerobics, and walking. I need to do more strength training because more muscle burns more calories.

I’m down 175 lbs since 9/12/22 and currently eat 1700-1900 calories a day. I’ll hit my surgeon’s goal in the next 1-2 weeks and I’m about 30 lbs from my personal goal. You can damage your metabolism staying at 800-1200 calories for life. I have adjusted very slowly first going to 1400, then 1500, 1600, and now I try for 1700 but do go as high as 1900. On vacation I ate 2500+, gained 3 lbs and lost 5 the week I got back. I am very concerned about disordered eating and a lifestyle that is sustainable long term. I do exercise quite a bit, mostly because I genuinely love food and want to be able to indulge in small ways without stalling my progress too much. It’s about balance.

I’m down 175 lbs since 9/12/22 and currently eat 1700-1900 calories a day. I’ll hit my surgeon’s goal in the next 1-2 weeks and I’m about 30 lbs from my personal goal. You can damage your metabolism staying at 800-1200 calories for life. I have adjusted very slowly first going to 1400, then 1500, 1600, and now I try for 1700 but do go as high as 1900. On vacation I ate 2500+, gained 3 lbs and lost 5 the week I got back. I am very concerned about disordered eating and a lifestyle that is sustainable long term. I do exercise quite a bit, mostly because I genuinely love food and want to be able to indulge in small ways without stalling my progress too much. It’s about balance.

Congrats that all sounds great! I just hit my 4th month post-op visit myself this week. It's always great when you have a good surgeon and med team who are attentive and encouraging. Makes a world of difference. Keep rocking your progress.

20lbs in four weeks is great. You should be celebrating it. Remeber, everyone is different but keep at it and it will come

3 week post op update- I'm down 8 lb since my surgery 7/20 I was hoping for more, but I gained about 9 lb during surgery and the day after from all of the IV fluids. To be fair, I've never lost more than a pound or so per week, so this is still really good. I would love to lose 20 lb a month, but I'm ok with a consistent 2 lb per week. I've been working with my nutritionist and weighing myself daily to track trends. It also helps me catch things quickly and readjust. I started eating ginger chews after surgery to help with nausea and realized I was going a little too ham on them! (That's how I got here in the first place) So even though there are natural fluctuations, daily weight and food tracking has been a powerful tool for my nutritionist and I.

Yes I did my blood thinner injections for two weeks post op. They are easy to do and the needle is so thin that I barely felt it. I would keep an eye on the blood in your urine though and perhaps contact your bariatric team to report it.

Can't get rid of the quote boxes I am back in hospital again. I collapsed on the nurse when she came for her morning check up on Monday morning so she called me an ambulance. Had an allergic reaction to the antibiotics plus a leak from pancreas in to stomach area. Two clips applied and I'm now on a feeding tube for a week. This has all been hell.

Great job hitting your goals! I'm working on finding some non-scale victories to keep me motivated because the stalls are getting longer and longer, but progress is happening albeit slowly. I think my calorie count is around the 800-1000 mark, too, and I think that's where I'll be pretty permanently. Congrats on 155! That's amazing! I can't believe we're at the one year mark. Also, we seem to be scooping up some of the 2023 September surgery folks since this post isn't dated. To the new people, welcome! If you have any questions, let us know. We've all had our surgeries in September 2022 and while we don't post as often anymore, folks pop in every couple months to update / celebrate / commiserate. Best of luck to new and old September weight loss comrades!

Are going with a private care provider or does BC have a bariatric program that you get referred into by your family doctor? In Ontario there is a bariatric program that covers most of the costs (you have to buy your own OptiFast for the pre-op liquid diet, but broadly everything else is covered, including all consults and tests (sleep study, endoscopy, bloodwork, etc) if you meet several criteria; BMI greater than 40 or BMI between 30-40 with one comorbidity which are defined as coronary heart disease, hypertension, Type II diabetes, or diagnosed obstructive sleep apnea. Once you're enrolled in the program, there are several appointments and classes including a general orientation (virtual), a meeting with a nurse (in person), a social worker (virtual), a dietician (virtual), an internist (in person, who will likely order a sleep study if you haven't had one or have not already been diagnosed with apnea), a nutrition class (virtual) then a meeting with the surgeon (virtual, and who may require an endoscopy to have a look inside your stomach). They will then decide if you're approved for surgery and you'll receive a surgery date shortly thereafter. Next you'll attend a pre-surgery class (virtual). Lastly, you'll need to go in to the hospital two weeks ahead of your surgery where you'll see a nurse, an anesthesiologist and a pharmacist. During this appointment they'll draw blood, give you an ECG, discuss anesthesia and whether you should continue or stop any medications you may be taking before surgery. From being referred into the program to getting my surgery date took almost exactly 4 months (March 7-June 8) and my surgery date is Aug 28, so roughly 6 months total.

^^Agree^^ I haven't lost 100 pounds yet but getting close and all I've done is stick to my diet plan and walk outside, I'm up to 2 miles a day. (6-7xs a week) Walking is considered weightbearing exercise and is one of the healthiest things you can do for yourself. And it's free. Pre-op I was completely sedentary and on disability. When the weather turns colder, I'll start doing some weights in the gym. And possibly a rower to switch it up. Vary your routine otherwise your body adapts, and your gains will slow down. At least till you reach maintenance. And most importantly, find something you enjoy doing or you won't stick with it. GL!!

I love the outdoors, so hiking/backpacking and trail running are my main cardio exercises right now. I also strength train 2-4 times a week, depending on what routine I'm doing and what else I'm doing cardio-wise. Before surgery, I would have been pushing it to walk to the end of the block, so I mostly just didn't bother. To me, I don't think of any of the activities I do strictly as something to help me lose or maintain weight. Honestly, fat loss mostly comes from the kitchen, Instead, I partake in these activities because I enjoy them, but perhaps even more importantly, they make me healthier and will hopefully lead to more time here on this planet. Regarding loose skin, I have been able to "fill in" some of it on my arms and legs with muscle. I attribute this to my overall workout plan, not to any specific thing. You didn't really ask, but I wanted to share a few additional things with you: While as you've seen in this thread not everyone is active post-surgery, the data is clear on this: those bariatric surgery patients that partake in at least 60 minutes of moderate physical activity 5-6 days a week are significantly more likely to reach their goal weight and maintain their weight-loss long-term. That does not mean you can't be successful without exercise, but it does mean you can greatly tip the odds in your favor if you're active. Both cardio and strength training are important. While cardiovascular exercise has obvious heart-health benefits (that's why it's called cardio after all), it also helps with your overall physical endurance and energy levels, so everything else you do physically just becomes a lot easier. Strength training, in addition to helping you look and feel better physically also increases your metabolism so that you burn even more calories even at rest. It's hard to argue with the benefits of that on weight loss. Strength training will have no direct effect on loose skin. As I implied above, what it can do is help fill out that loose skin with some muscle instead of fat. This is probably going to be more in the arms and legs than in your belly for obvious reasons. Keep in mind though that your ability to add muscle mass is highly impacted by age, genetics, epigenetics, diet and biological sex, among other things. My point is that while some people can "fill in" that lose skin by adding muscle mass, it's by no means assured or even realistic for most of us. It's sometimes misleading to think of strength training as the only thing that builds muscle. Even just walking can help, depending of where you're starting from. Like all exercise, the key is continuing to progress. Once you stagnate, you'll stop improving your health. In short, I highly recommend partaking in both cardio and strength training. If you need help knowing what to do, seek out the assistance of a reputable trainer.

Scheduled for a DS on September 11. Counting down the days and running through the gambit of emotions. I didn't come into my surgery prep thinking that I'd be getting a WLS from the surgeon in an effort to fix a failing nissen fundoplication (GERD surgery, 2005). He just told me at the first appointment that it was my only real viable option for a repair and return to somewhat normal function. I'm eating reasonably now, I just have to remember to eat breakfast, which I usually don't but I've been trying to divide up my calories more thru the day instead of them all at the end of the day. I usually don't eat during work hours. Making sure I'm drinking plenty of no-calorie fluids and my care team recommends Liquid IV, so I've been making sure to drink at least one a day, although when I start my 2-week pre-op diet it'll go up to two each day. I think I'm ready, not 100%, still scared witless that I'm going to regret it but at the same time I know I can do this and that this is going to be my best shot at being able to enjoy life again.

I've tried weight loss shots. I haven't had surgery yet. I had luck with Saxenda but the insurance did not think I was losing weight fast enough so they refused to cover more. Losers. LOL I had some nausea with it at first but no real issues otherwise. When I stopped the meds I gained the weight back plus extra, of course. I'm on Ozempic now but it is to treat diabetes. I have way more side effects with it as the dose goes up, but it usually evens out after a few weeks at the new dose. I don't love it though. The Saxenda was way easier on my body... I've lost 10 lbs on the Ozempic, then gained it back as I've had a hard time consistently getting the med since everyone is on it for weight loss, it is super frustrating. I have heard of it being used in conjunction with weight loss surgery and some people have a lot of luck with it! The ones I've followed have been using Mounjaro though. CarolinRNY on Youtube talks a bit about this in her more recent videos if you'd like a first hand account of it being used to boost weight loss that has slowed post surgery. My guess is if you pair it with behavior modification and taper off it slowly after you hit goal weight you might be able to maintain the results. If not you are stuck with a weekly shot until something new comes out. The shots themselves are easy to do and aren't usually painful, though they can sting a little. ETA: I think The Sleeved Dietitian is also using Mounjaro to lose weight with and has been successful with it. You can find her on Instagram.

I’m just over a month away, trying to prepare. My surgeon is recommending pro-stat collagen protein and a vitamin regimen for prep and healing (floradix, folic acid, and vitamin C). I am planning 2 weeks off from work - I work a remote desk job so I’m hoping I can make that work. I will be flying to Miami and staying in a recovery house for a week. What are things you learned during this process? Anything you wish you did differently?

Congratulations on your surgery. Walk and drink and rest are the order of the day. Yes I had Blood thinner injections. They are easy to do but can be a bit stingy. The bruising on my belly looked brutal but its to be expected. I was supposed to take them for a month [I think] but binned the last week. I

I couldn't drink protein shakes either - they taste disgusting now. I understand your worry about hitting your protein goals. Personally I have found clear protein isolate much easier to drink - it comes in different flavours and just mixes into water. It also comes unflavoured so you can mix it into soup. I am three weeks post mini gastric bypass and I feel hungry too. So much so that I have started on soft food much earlier than my plan dictates. I know this is wrong so I am going to try and stop this. Could it be "head hunger" that you're experiencing? I say that because it's very common apparently. I think our bodies are going through so many changes but our brains are going to be playing catch-up.

I am getting my procedure at So. San Fran. I took my initial class in Nov, and had to wait about 6 weeks to have the 1st psych appt. After that it it was a month to my MD consult. My 1st procedure was finally sched in May, after jumping through all the hoops (including weight loss goal from MD). Unfortunately, I had an insurance change so it was delayed to June. Then I caught COVID at a family wedding and was delayed to next week. Kaiser requires a 6-week wait after a COVID diagnosis. Once you are accepted for surgery, be very careful about exposure. Covid is rough (even with Paxlovid), and the long delay for surgery makes it more depressing. Mask up until surgery. I just had my 3rd pre-op visit with the MD today, and he is happy with my continued weight loss, so we are now a "Go". Yay!