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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!

Do share with us your skin removal journey!!! Best wishes! It is a game changer for any massive weight loss who retains a lot of excess skin to keep one positive, on track and motivated forward at any age. Just had my arms done in October 2024. Initial sleeve December 2018. I turned 65 May 2024.

I’m only in the beginning stages. I had an orientation and met with the surgeon then was told I’d get an appointment with a nutritionist. I also need to hit my surgery weight, 11 pounds left to lose.

Yea. I wish I could’ve dropped 50 on my own. I tried many times. Well, I did lose it many times. I just always gained it back 😢 The higher the BMI the faster you usually lose in the beginning after surgery, though. Everyone slows down eventually (the closer you get to a “normal” BMI). But 50 pounds was almost 20% of my body weight so that was quite a bit of difference off of my knees. Made a pretty big difference in what I am able to do physically. I hope you will see that you are able to do a little more quite quickly after you are recovered. From there you just have to take advantage of it and work your way up until you can soon do all the things that you enjoy doing.

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.

Thank you for the replies. I lost another .20 this morning so I hope it is firing back up. Yes I carried the majority of my weight in my belly and while I know it has gone down the rest of my body looks so thin and then my mid section (and I have a broad back and shoulders) so I literally feel like I look like Gru from Despicable Me - stick legs and big upper body LOL

Thank you for your insight. Yes my surgeon knows about me working out two hours a day and he is happy with my progress. He is only concerned that I am not consuming more food. I don't feel like eating much. I just focus on protein. I will try not to worry about weight loss. Thank you again

Good luck. I’m pre surgery and eerily. We are roughly the same weight stats. At the end of next month I’m going to pick a procedure and I’m worried about durability. The pandemic was a once in a century event, but this person’s story is not unique. Therefore, I’m worried if VSG is the best surgery for durability. Aside from BPD/DS I see VSG patients having a lot of regain on this platform and on the FB groups, there’s less, but still a fair number of RYGB patients with regain too. Most didn’t just go full on ultra terrible diet, so I am now reading and watching videos to avoid regain. Are there any books on the topic?

I share this story in hopes that it may help someone to never pick up a drink after VSG or to at least be hyper-vigilant about the dangers of drinking post weight loss surgery. I was sleeved in August of 2015 @ 310 lbs. Quickly lost most of the weight needed and began running 5k. Not really setting the world on fire, but it was really good for me. Prior to surgery, I had always enjoyed drinking with friends. Typical guy stuff - couple beers @ a football game or watching the game on Sunday, meeting for drinks after work, etc. Never an issue or problem. Never anything that i had to have. My doctor warned me against alcohol, sodas, and transfer addictions, but I thought "never me". WOW, was I wrong. I remember the first couple times I had a beer after the surgery (I waited 6 months), it was very fizzy and uncomfortable. I convinced myself that it would get easier, and unfortunately it did. Next came the rum and coke zero. Wow, that tastes great, and I get a buzz very quickly. That fast buzz turned into getting very drunk, very quickly. Our new bodies absorb the alcohol in 1/2 the time that a normal internal system would. Over the last couple yeaars there have been many episodes of drinking way to much, blacking out, and not remembering what happened. I have had to apologize for my behavior more than once after a night of drinking. I even started drinking every day. I would make a drink as soon as I got home each day. 1 turns into 2 or 3. Just like lays potato chips you can not have just 1. Alcohol consumed my every thought. When can I have a drink? How can I make sure I can get a drink? It amazed me how I was able to justify that if creamer was good in my morning coffee, how great would Rumchatta be (it's damn good, by the way). I am living proof that transfer addiction is a real thing. I am now in counseling for my alcohol addiction. Transfer addiction is definitely a real thing. Prior to VSG surgery I was over 300 pounds because I had an addiction to food, and all the wrong kinds of food. My new addiction is alcohol and it's best friend is food addiction. what goes with beer = chicken wings, or nuts and pretzels, what goes with a margarita = tacos, etc. Alcohol also makes it impossible to lose weight. So if you are really dedicated to clean eating but you drink, your weight may stay the same, but it surely will not go down. I have packed on 60 lbs of the 120 that I lost. And, I am slowly changing behaviors to get back to where I want to be. It is a journey,, but I am worth it. I will overcome. Addiction is sacrificing everything for that one thing ! Recovery is sacrificing that 1 thing to have everything !

It is still super early on for you, but it seems like you are doing a great job; both with your protein intake and your weight loss. We all lose weight at different speeds, but it's about not adding foods in too fast to let your body heal and making sure you are getting all the protein and vitamins you need to keep your body healthy. Keep making good choices and enjoy the journey!

Yea it sounds like you are bigger boned. That’s something I liked to say when I was heavier because it sounded better but I’m really don’t think that I am supposed to carry a lot of weight. My frame is tiny.

Yes! Cycling is awesome. One of my true joys with my weight loss, being able to get out on a bike. I road bike, mountain bike, and have a gravel bike in the process of being built :)

One thing my doctor told me too when I inquired about a similar issue (tho for me it didnt stall until 3 weeks out), was that pre-surgery there was that very intense liver shrinking diet. A few weeks after surgery, the liver will start to build back up to a more normal size, which can cause a slight weight increase or stall. There are many other factors to the stalls, but this was just one aspect I had never considered. It all seems pretty normal! I'm at 7 weeks post surgery now, and down a full pants size, but actual weight loss since date of surgery is only about 17 lbs. I'm so happy I made this change in my life. This is going to be the best year ever!!

I am in the 1st stages of my journey. I meet with the team for my 1st consultations on Jan 2nd. I am @ 250 lbs. I have cronic back pain. I just had back surgery in Oct. I am doing the surgery because the weight of my stomach is pulling my spine forward. If i don't do this i might have to have another fusion in my back later on. Plus i am so excited to get this done. I have hit a plato and i cant lose any more weight i bounce around 250 lbs up or done by 10 lbs no matter what i do. I was @ 285 lbs I lost 60 lbs and it all stopped.So i have been hovering around the same weight for years.I am so excited to get this done.

Yes, I would have the surgery again knowing what I do now. I would recommend it for everyone who has struggled with being significantly overweight despite commonsense lifestyle changes. Even with the most restrictive diets, I could never lose weight and keep it off for very long. This has been the only thing that has ever worked.

First and foremost, I'm not going to preach abstinence, we are all adults and can make our own decisions. For me, apparently, I'm not an adult enough to be responsible. I've let alcohol take over, I drink daily and I've gained weight back. My spiral started around 4 years ago and has progressed steadily. Until recently, I was in control. I could drink and be ok. I would get drunk and know what happened the next day. Now however, I will get drunk and can't remember a thing. The next day I have massive brain fog, can't concentrate, can't orate correctly, I feel like crap, have the shakes etc. To be clear, I never leave my house and drive. I worry however that it could come to that. My weight is making my back problem even more painful. My clothes are tight, I'm depressed, and it's just awful. I feel like it's groundhogs day every day. I say I'm going to stop and I last a few days and then I slip back. However today I've made a decision to stop drinking entirely. I'm done. I'm not drinking ever again. I clearly can't control my self. I'm an addict with food and now alcohol. Much like food did, booze will ruin my life if I continue. I'm going to join AA and clean my life up yet again. Writing this is a first step for me. I'm not looking for pity, or to be chastised. I need to be self shamed and admit what I am. I'm an alcoholic. However, I can change this, I will change this. I will be healthier soon, it will be hard but I'm going to get there. So please, be careful with alcohol. We all spent a lot of time and money to say nothing of the physical and mental pain we've been through, don't throw it away. Sent from my Pixel 7 Pro using BariatricPal mobile app

it's 50% of EXCESS body weight - not total body weight. Also, a 10-20 lb rebound weight gain after hitting our lowest weight is VERY common - it happens to the vast majority of us, usually in year 3. In fact, that's why I intentionally went under my goal, to account for that very common 10-20 lb bump up. (and like you, for most of us it just kind of happens without much "effort" on our part - it's basically your body settling in at a weight it's comfortable at) so everything you said is completely normal, and certainly not indicative of failure. That said, if you DO want to lose more weight, then yes, a revision or something like a GLP-1 would likely help. But you certainly didn't fail the surgery.

So now I'm just PI$$ed!!!! I've been working with the fairly useless nutritionist to try and gain weight...as you know. Well the nurse practitioner from the surgeon's office called today because they want me to schedule iron infusions (I knew that was coming) and she said I should schedule an appointment to see her because the nutritionist mentioned I'm trying to gain weight and she's confused by that because I'm only barely out of the obese category and I still have more to go before I should be looking at maintaining, nevermind gaining anything. Ok...WHAT??!?! I told her I don't want to lose more because I was already below where I want to be and I'm not feeling great and she said I just need to add muscle. She said I'm losing muscle as well as fat and I need to start eating and doing work outs that promote bulking up to try and gain the muscle back. She said that will actually help me tone up and I'll lose more weight. I asked her how, since muscle weighs more than fat, and she said because I'll still be losing fat while I'm gaining muscle, but I'll also be toning up. She wants me to drop another 20-25 pounds and then add 5-10 back on in muscle. I told her there's absolutely no way that will happen because I don't have the time, energy, stamina, or strength to do it. And do you know what this heifer said???? She said "Well, you can let it slide if you want, but you didn't come this far just to come this far, did you? You're so close to the finish line. Let me help you finish strong." I literally LOST IT. I said "LADY, I FINISHED STRONG 15 POUNDS AGO!!! Since when do you get to decide what our goal weight is? I moved my goal weight twice. First it was 200, then it was 195, then it was 190. I was happy then, and now my body won't stop. I want it to stop. You're the OPPOSITE of helpful." I've never wanted to slap the taste out of someone so bad in my LIFE!!!!

Hi, I’m a sleeve revision from 2020 gained back 50 of 100 lost and I’m scheduled for the sedi on 10/24.

Wow that’s unfortunate but I know there are outliers. My friend lost all her weight really quick (too fast if you ask me) and now the maintenance dose for her is too high. She is having to go off of it because she cants STOP losing and she is getting weak because she can’t eat. I guess most people fall in between these two extremes. Hopefully before long all of these meds will be covered for everyone. They are doing so many studies and learning they work for so many things in addition to weight loss and diabetes. I think it’s just a matter of time 🤞

Yes my weight has affected me the majority of my adult life as well. I’m looking forward to living again! Being able to join my sisters on long weekends and my friends too! I have missed out on a lot!

Forgot to add numbers Age : 67 Heaviest: 215 Now:195 Goal: 125-130 Started gaining since 2005 mainly from behavioral health meds.

I’m still trying to navigate my way thru this transition and it’s harder everyday. I just feel stuck that’s why I’m trying to get others input and try to “find my way”. It gets frustrating when I see other people losing alot of weight off the bat .. I’ve lost 20 lbs in the last two months and feel that’s not sufficient but then again is there a general number we’re supposed to be down by month 2 ? Ugh I drive myself nuts with that and I’m tryin to get my mindset right but I end up freaking out and stressing over it.

No one takes 2 months off maybe 2 weeks. It’s really just the lipo harvesting and fat grafting so no huge incisions to heal. But that being said, you really need to have a viable source of fat to harvest. And it needs to survive so you can’t be in a caloric deficit or actively losing weight. If you’re really lean I believe they still recommend implants instead although I think that’s falling out of fashion too. If you’re really really into fitness, I would suggest transitioning to fitbody/bikini modeling workouts. Those transformations are amazing.

Tomorrow is my 2 month surgiversary and I'm already halfway to my (numerical) weight loss goal!