Search the Community

i made a vsg four years ago, i started from a weight of 148 kg, going in three month to 122 kg. than arrived covid. italy was in lockdown, i regain weight to 138, than go to 126, back again to 134, in this period i see the 119 when i was sick, and now back to 128. i feel like i was a failure, and i don't know what to do. i work with a dietitian and an endocrinologist but nothing work on me. what am i suppose to do? i am the only that have that problem? in the first year i was alone, nobody follow me and now it's so difficult make it work

Thank you. You're absolutely right; I've taken a picture every month since my surgery in September and lining them all up, there's really not much difference month to month, but taking out months one, two & three and putting month 0 and 4 side by side as I've done here, there really is a significant difference and it's definitely encouraging.

I did the same - I had my husband take pictures of me every month on my surgery date until I hit maintenance 20 months later. It's much easier to see your progress if you can refer back to previous photos. You can't always tell a difference from month to month, but comparing photos to ones taken three or four months earlier - yep - you can definitely see the difference! Plus it's great having photo documentation of your journey! Congrats, by the way - you're doing great!

I got the Deluxe because (1) it has bigger containers (24 ounces for the Deluxe vs. 16 ounces for the other models) and (2) it has more programs than the other models. To be honest, I don't fully understand the difference between programs, and I'm not 100% convinced it matters (e.g., what's the difference between light ice cream and frozen yogurt programs?), but it's nice to have options. I like the bigger containers because it allows more flexibility in what recipes I can make, and I usually eat half and re-freeze the other half for later. A few pro tips: Buy extra containers. You have to freeze the mixture for 12-24 hours, so you'll want to be able to make it in advance so you don't have to wait until you consume one to freeze the next one. The machine only comes with two containers (unless you find a deal that includes extra containers), and I bought 4 more for a total of 6. My extras are not Ninja brand but they are the same shape and size to work with the machine, at half the price of the Ninja brand. Re-spin! No matter what program you use, your ice cream will probably come out looking like powder and you'll think something is wrong. Put it back in the machine and re-spin at least once, sometimes two or three times. Some people say to add liquid before re-spinning, but I recommend NOT to do that, because as it sits at room temperature during the re-spins, it will start to melt into its own liquid, so if you add more liquid, it will get too soft. Also, this is kind of confusing, but if you save some for later, you have to re-freeze it in the container and then creamify it using the applicable program (e.g., light ice cream, sorbet, frozen yogurt, etc.), NOT re-spin. In other words, never use the re-spin button when it's frozen solid. You'll probably need to add sweetener and/or flavor. When people are dissatisfied with recipes, I suspect that it's usually because of insufficient sweetness. YMMV, but I like things super sweet, so I always add sugar-free sweetener (erythritol and/or Splenda) and lots of it. People say that freezing and creamifying it makes it taste less sweet, so when you taste the liquid before freezing it, you'll probably want it to be on the verge of too sweet. Same goes for flavor -- it tastes weaker after freezing and creamifying. There are some great flavorings available that can really enhance your creations. Lorann, One on One Flavors, and Bakto flavorings are available on Amazon and offer a ton of variety. McCormick cake batter extract is also a delicious addition to vanilla bases and is available at most grocery stores.

Significant. I'm just thankful its winter and I can wear stocking caps. I've been losing it for about two - three months now. There is nothing you can do. Biotin etc..work on growing hair, not keeping it. The hair falling out now is old hair. I've read it should start stopping around 6-8 months post op <crossing fingers>. I have heard it comes back thicker, although I think that's just because you're used to the thinner hair so it seems like it. I'm not losing as quick as others..only down 70. This month and last two months have slowed significantly. Happy New Year back at you!

Yeah. It just says fluid. And I usually have a cup of decaf tea in the morning that is equivalent to three cups. I never put that in my tracker. I am just figuring what I count in my tracker which is more 8 oz cu I use to drink. From my large water bottle (64oz). I’m sure it will be fine. It will all work out. I just have to watch fats that I am taking in. Even if it is “healthy “ fats

I’m three weeks out of surgery. I’m feeling kind of the same way technically. For my tracker I weigh twice a week on Sundays and Wednesdays. I noticed this week from Wednesday to Sunday I didn’t have the weight loss that I was kind of expecting. I’ve also started the purée stage where I’m actually eating stuff now. One of the Support groups that I’m in there is a woman there and she said that this is normal and I talked to my doctor and he said it was normal so I guess it’s normal. I know I’ve heard of the stalls that happen within the first few months. you’ll have stalls as your body adjusts to the new eating habits. Just make sure that you’re eating your protein, getting your water, taking your vitamins, and eating foods that you should be eating, such as puréed vegetables, or soft foods, or whatever that are healthy. Your body will adjust as time goes on and will all feel these kind of oh my God moments. But we got this we’ll get through this. I’m not gonna start worrying about the stalls until I’m six months out and not losing any weight by then, your body should be on the role of losing. I hope that helps.

I cant' really speak to any of this having never been through it, and not being a medical person or counselor, but the 75 lbs - if you've lost 75 lbs since September, I'm sure you look different. It's sometimes hard to tell from month to month by looking at yourself in the mirror, so I had my husband take pictures of me - all four sides (front, back, left side, right side) - every month on the date of my surgery (in my case, the 3rd of every month). We did this every month until I hit maintenance 20 months later. It wasn't always easy to tell from one month to the next, but if I compared pictures to those taken three or four months earlier - yep - big difference!

Yeah, the first two to three weeks will have you questioning everything about the process, but that's only due to the temporary discomfort and the idle time while resting and recovering. We all go through that phase, so you're right on track! The good thing about the sleeve, like others mentioned, is that you will eventually be able to eat all of the same things again, but now you'll have that governor in place to stop you from going overboard. Early on, just stick to the diet plan, as its more important to prevent stretching the tissue where the staples are and to prevent infections. After the first month or two, then the goal is to keep the carbs and excess calories down, as statistically you'll have the beest luck losing weight those first 6 months before it slows, and levels off around the 12-18 month mark. Its just to get that jump start on the weight loss. Each day gets easier, but it is gradual and expect the occasional "hangry" day while you adapt. You'll have days where your body will try to fight you since its used to the old foods and quantities we used to eat. It misses its snacks, but our mind and stomachs are like angry toddlers in this phase, they require some discipline. Teaching it early on makes it better on the long run, but be ready for the temper tantrums haha. I'm approaching 2 months from my surgery and I have to say the first 2 weeks were fear/regret, then that subsided in weeks 3-4, and I was more upset about "well I feel like I can eat x, y, or z again, why can't I?", then even that started to subside on Week 5. I will say to avoid excess sugar, as that will still set my cravings off. I made multiple mistakes sampling cookies and cake over the holidays, and the following 2-3 days I would be craving it constantly and getting angry about it. Forcing myself past those 2-3 days, focussing on protein and more savory foods, and the obsessive craving went away. For the gas pain, definitely find some Gas-X or similar medication from a pharmacy. That helped me a lot the first month. Also, while walking, do some arm exercises like lifting over your head, windmill stretches, etc., and that will help disperse some of the gas. That really helped to get rid of my shoulder pain from it.

I went through three sizes of new knickers & 3 sizes of bras. Gets expensive. Yikes! My advice is to do get properly fitted for bras. You may be surprised how much the shape of your boobs change. And yes empty breast are real but I see you’re thinking of having a breast lift in the future so empty boobs won’t be a long term thing for you.

Made it to day 2 post op! Not so much in pain, but get some very uncomfortable stomach feelings or cramps. They prescribed oxy and liquid Tylenol which I’ve been taking pretty much every 3-4 hours (woke up every three hours the first night following the procedure). Otherwise I’ve been up and walking in between napping - very tired! I had my procedure Thursday and was planning to go back into my office on Tuesday. Based on how tired I am, I will probably work from home the whole week following the procedure. My dietary guidelines are as follows: Day 1 (procedure day) & Day 2: Clear liquids, supposed to have 64 oz of Gatorade or a diluted fruit juice but I haven’t been able to drink that much at all. They said the first two days are the worst as your stomach heals, so hoping tomorrow is better. 4 weeks: Full liquid diet 2 weeks: Blended/pureed foods 4 weeks: Soft foods Regular food I feel ready but am a little nervous for the amount of drinking I’ll be doing at the office!

sounds like the infamous "three-week stall" that most of us experience (our first major stall - and the first of what could be many). Best way to deal with it is to stick to your clinic's eating plan and stay off the scale. Stalls usually last 1-3 weeks. They're aggravating, but they're a normal part of weight loss. It's just your body stopping to recalibrate once in awhile. 1200 calories seems like a lot for being so early out - I didn't hit that until I was more like a year out - but your surgeon may have his reasons for that, and I'm no medical professional. if you want to learn more about the stall, there are literally over 17,000 posts on it on this site. Just do a search on "three week stall". I am NOT kidding about the 17,000+ posts. It happens to almost everyone.

I had vsg surgery on 12/19/23 I lost about 12lbs during the first week and a half but since week two hit I've been seeing the scale not move at all, my inches on my waist was going down so I was to upset. Then I had my post op visit with my surgeon and He told me that I wasn't eating enough, He said that I was losing too much weight and I had told him that the scale hasn't even moved for the past week. But he expected me to hit about 1200 calories a day where I've been eating me 400 or 500. He had said that I should add a couple of snacks in to my meals throughout the day. So three meals a day plus two snacks at least. And it's been a struggle but I've done that and I've been eating around 800 calories a day. Maybe 9:00 but now I'm gaining weight so I'm just unsure of what to do. Should I keep going at this? 800 calorie 900 trying to achieve 1200 so soon after surgery or should I just stick with my four or 500? It seems like so much food for 3 weeks post-op. Also, just so it's clear, I'm pretty much clearer to eat anything I want now just to use discretion when choosing my foods. I am hitting All of my protein and water goals. But I was before when I was getting 400 calories or 500 a day.

I think you need to get back into contact with your dietician. Did you say whether you track your food & monitor your macros? Have you still be having regular blood tests as these will show if you are lacking in any nutrients & you can track & monitor any changes when comparing with your food data. This data will help your dietician to help you construct an eating plan that will meet your needs. There are tests to see if you aren’t absorbing certain nutrients. Like a stool test can identify how much fat is present & if you aren’t absorbing it effectively. I take Creons (pancreatic enzymes) three times a day to help with my protein malabsorption (curtesy of my gall removal - not a common side effect but I was just unlucky). They also help with malabsorption of fats & carbs as well as proteins. Worth a conversation with your doctor if it is discovered you’re have malabsorption issues.

I am turning 50 in a few months, and I've struggled with my weight most of my life. At 26, my BMI was probably around 30, but I didn't have the health issues so it was just a nuisance to me. I tried dieting and healthy eating for years, but my weight increased steadily in typical yo-yo fashion. Post-pregnancies, I spent my late 30s and early 40s in the 35-39 BMI range and started getting co-morbidities. By the time my BMI hit 40 this past year, I was aching in my feet and joints, had high blood pressure and cholesterol, and was prediabetic. So it's not about weight or appearance at this point but getting control of my health now, while my body can still bounce back and hopefully age more gracefully. I feel like I'm at that tipping point where if I don't act, the next decade will not end well and I will not have a good time of my senior years. This is despite all my best intentions and 7 years of actively going to a weight management doctor. All of that is to say that trying hard and knowing the right things to do rarely leads to success if you are prone to obesity. It's a disease, not a moral failing, no matter what people tell you. Unlike dieting, weight loss surgery provides lasting metabolic changes, as close to a cure as you can get. And you still will have to make all the lifestyle changes you would need to do anyway to lose weight, but they will actually work (instead of spending the next 24 years getting bigger and less healthy like I did). I have posted frequently about what a huge fan I am of Dr. Matthew Weiner's books, YouTube videos, and new podcast. Honestly, his books were life changing for me in terms of my perspective. I highly recommend starting there. He has 3 books, one is called Pound of Cure and gives great, scientifically sound information on what a healthy, set-point lowering way of eating looks like and how to get there. The second is a book that explains exactly how gastric bypass and sleeve surgeries change your metabolism and why they work (it's not just a smaller stomach and eating less!). The third is a cookbook with bariatric friendly recipes and serving sizes for different stages. These books are super fast reads. You can probably get through all three in a week (minus making all the recipes, of course!). With three months to go, my suggestion is get these books and start implementing the diet changes in a deliberate way. Start exercising in a sustainable way, working up to it little by little. See how you feel. Don't do crash diets. Don't start anything, whether food or exercise, you don't think you can basically do 90% of the time for the rest of your life, because there's no such thing as doing it for long enough to lose weight and then getting to "go back to normal." This has to become your new normal, with or without surgery. In three months, if you really aren't sure about the surgery, don't do it. It'll always be there. But know that it's an additional tool that will make the hard work you have to do either way in order to keep your health for the rest of your life more likely to stick. Without it, there's a very high (but not impossible) chance you will not be able to keep your weight in a healthy range.

You sound as if you have a great deal going on in your life. You need to take a moment out of your busy life to just breathe. Three months is still a long time to decide which way you want to go, either with surgery or not. You can cancel right up to the minute you walk into the hospital. A few have. This may not be your time. So lets take the things that you are most worried about, Your hair. You will not go bald. You probably will loose some of your thickness. You are young, you have masses of hair. When you are as old as I am you would have already have lost lots of hair due to menopause, so I started off with a deficit. It did get a little scary and I needed to get my hair cut really short but I do love the freedom that it gives me. I felt it was worth it. This surgery was my last chance at a normal life. You will not loose too much weight, you will stop a right place for you. You need to up your calories until you get to a balance. I am ok on 1500 calories a day. I have a slow life, I dont work anymore. I go out with friends, I eat and drink as before. The only thing I do not do is overeat. I don't miss doing that, my friends might do. Especially if they liked to overeat with me. How do you see yourself ? Not how others see you. They may want a fat friend to bolster their own negative ego's. Do you put weight on every year and keep it on ? We all did. We did diets after diets and put it all back on again with added weight. Lots of us ended up with weight related illnesses like diabetes and blood pressure. If you think you can loose weight yourself and keep it off then you need to try. Give yourself 6 to 12 months to do it. Bariatric surgery is not an easy option but if you stick with it, it is a solution. If you do not follow the guide lines then like a diet, it will fail. You should go back and chat with your surgeon. You need to be totally happy with your decision. Give yourself the time you need.

1). there are a lot more people who don't reach goal than there are who lose too much weight. Plus if you feel like you're losing too much weight, you can always increase your calories to put the brakes on it - or to start gaining. So I wouldn't worry about this one AT ALL. 2). fewer than 5% of people are able to lose weight and keep it off. You may be one of the lucky ones who can do that - and if so, and you're afraid of the surgery, it's not too late to pull out and try it on your own. I wasn't one of the lucky ones. I spent my first 55 years as overweight or obese. I gained and lost weight a million times and could never keep it off until I had weight loss surgery. 3). hair loss, if you experience it (and not everyone does), is temporary. I lost hair during months 5-8 post-surgery (so...for three months). It wasn't much, though. I could tell because there were more hairs in my combs and brushes, but I really didn't notice it at all when looking in the mirror, so I'm sure no one else noticed it. Plus hair loss after surgery is more like shedding - not huge clumps of loss like one might have after chemo. For a lot of people, they're the only ones who notice it. It's usually more loss of volume than noticeable "bald spots" - and it does grow back. to me, the risk of losing some hair temporarily vs. being morbidly obese for the rest of my life was a no-brainer. But you may think and decide differently for yourself - and there's nothing wrong with that. If you're not mentally ready for this yet, or want to try on your own to lose weight, then there's nothing wrong with canceling or postponing your surgery. You wouldn't be the first..or last.

i was told it would take anywhere from 1-3 months. i took over 3 months because i did too much too soon and busted open my stitches twice. oopsies. so at between 3-4 months i had no more bandages, all my stitches (original and new) had all dissolved, and i could stand upright and had about 85% range or motion in my arms...it took about 7-8 months for me to fully "raise my arms in the air and swing 'em like i just dont care" 😂😂😂 but essentially at about 4 months i could do everything i was doing pre-PS except for the aforementioned arm-swinging. (oh and i was swollen/bloated, in lesser and lesser degrees - mostly in my abdomen - for about 6-7 months...but this didn't stop me from doing anything so i don't count it as something to recover from, if that makes sense?) my surgeon did all three (breast lift, arm lift and tummy tuck) all at the same time. it all depends on the surgeon and how long they are willing to keep u under, at what speed the work, if they will have an assistant, etc.. he told me he didn't want me under longer than 6 hours and that he could do all 3 within those hours. i believe i was in the recovery room in 5 and a half hours. i will say though that i was on the smaller side on surgery day (doc said i was the smallest person he's ever worked on)...so this may contribute to the shorter surgery time? i dunno... i had very very little actual fat to remove...it was basically just excess skin. the "material" he removed weighed a measley 400g . but oh what a difference 400g makes lol.

Welcome to your first stall. They usually occur around week three but can start before or after that. They usually last 1-3 weeks. (There are lots of usually, often, averages, common, etc. after surgery.) While this time when the scale doesn’t move, is frustrating & can be depressing, it is an important part of your weight loss. It’s when your body takes stock of the changes that are occurring (weight loss, dietary changes, etc.) & reassess its needs in regards to metabolic rate, digestive hormones, and so on. The stress of your surgery can also impact this first stall. (Yes I said first as you’ll likely experience more of them.) The stall will break when your body is ready to move forward again. You can’t force a stall to stop. Best advice used stick to your plan & don’t stress your body more by making changes to your diet & activity other than those your plan wants. Take some body measurements. While the scale doesn’t move, you may notice changes in a tape measure or in your clothing.

Hello All- i posted for the first time just about three years ago with some anxieties as a spouse with my wife prepping to undergo the gastric sleeve. I originally noted being concerned about our lifestyle changes, relationship impacts (I had heard all the horror stories) and most of all health concerns into the future. The community was incredibly supportive and I had learned tips and useful knowledge that helped me coach and support my wife through it. I am happy to say we are better than we ever have been and her self confidence is through the roof. However the MAIN reason the surgery ever was even considered was to get her diabetes that started while she was pregnant with our first child and got very concerning bad with our fourth has still stuck around and caused issues….. First- this is Life changing not just for the partner getting the surgery, but the spouse too. We used to be foodies and that all had to go out the door. Same with alcohol. Two bites and you are full, a pint and you are drunk. So activities, dates, etc. and new hobbies should all be prepared for well in advance. Luckily we are both athletes and coaches and this allowed to have an outlet that wasn’t our prior foodies and beer/ brewery culture pastime. Two- Relationship, anyone who tells you that this leads to automatic divorce/ break up is paranoid or lying. Out of her support group offered by our health network, I think only 1 or 2 of about fifteen women ended up separating and that was from the other spouse cheating. I have to say that in many ways, after four kids and all our activities, youth sports and coaching- it created a second honeymoon period for us and really strengthened our romance and relationship because we both focused on our health again jointly and the magnetism increased dramatically. Third- It might not fix the problem…. We did not jointly go into the surgery for cosmetic or weight loss reasons. It was the diabetes and the doctors said it was a solid shot to cure or mitigate the disease. It was for a while, but it keeps back up. despite healthy eating, despite exercise and coaching, despite the surgery- medications came back into the picture and so did the celebrity weight loss drug (which is really supposed to be for diabetes…) This has been keeping everything under control but is a case of the cure being as bad as the sickness. The side effects are brutal and definitely have a quality of life impact, but we both want to live to see grandkids someday….. Fourth- dysmorphia is VERY really. We are both naturally larger people. I was a lineman in high school and college and she was a softball catcher in high school and college and ended up also playing women’s rugby there as well. Even with the surgery she went from an XL to L but she got her college/ high school figure back and as such her confidence went through the roof and started dressing like she hadn’t in years. With the medication though??? Her figure, face shape, everything changed. Down to a Small or Medium. For almost a year and a half she hasn’t recognized herself in the mirror. It’s a double wham with the surgery and the medication. Between her best friends and myself (we have all been in the same friend/ team group since college) the support was to have fun with it and go with the flow. Instead of worrying about it (the dysmorphia) it was embrace the change. All new clothes she could never wear before, she’s been a redhead now and then blonde and still is. Cut her hair shorter, started wearing makeup (never really did)- all just to try and put a positive spin on it. I’ve been the spoiled recipient of having a brand new girl (don’t think I haven’t romanced and spoiled the you-know-what out of her), but at the end of the day it’s been mitigation of all the life changes. The last part has been the most detailed because it’s the most recent and to me has been the most impactful- NOT having the surgery do its intended purpose and the dysmorphia we’re both very difficult given the efforts and life changes made. We’ve done everything we can to make lemonade out of those lemons though. We had an anniversary vacation better than our honeymoon this past summer (she has always been way out of my league and these days it’s very much over the top- I feel incredibly spoiled) and we have made time to ride our bikes together with our oldest babysitting the kids and we come to each others games when we coach. I would tell any spouse; husband or wife of someone who is going to have the surgery and then or also do all the meds: 1. Support. It’s a huge deal and you need to show up. 2. Don’t get insecure about your relationship because of the surgery. If you are worried it means you might not have a great relationship to start with…. 3. You will need to change your life too. Because of my size and my weight lifting, I need a lot of protein and calories. I will never look like a Hollywood star (like she now does) and always an NFL lineman- BUT- if I bring a cannoli, pie or a full growler into the house in addition to steak/ salmon, etc it’s teasing and not fair. You will need to learn self control to support your spouse… 4. Inspire and come up with ideas for positive re-enforcement. If the dysmorphia or depression sets in, you need to find fun things to do, supportive steps to take and positive angles to keep things going. 5. If you are doing all this as a spouse, what about YOU??? Are you going to die a martyr? Take care of YOURSELF too. I go lifting 3 times a week, go fishing in season. And for my 40th birthday when she asked what I wanted?? I got us a long weekend on the Cape, bought her some dresses I wanted to see her in and sent her to get her hair, nails, toes, eyelashes, etc.. done. Said I wanted a long weekend with my movie star wife. It was a great time, kid free and continued to strengthen our marriage. Anyways- why am I writing this? Posterity? Self reflection? Not really…. I just want to give Spouses a roadmap. It’s a huge change and you need to navigate the waters well. If you do you will benefit as much as your loved one. Good luck.

I had surgery on December 4. I rapidly lost about 13 pounds. Since my appointment on the 19th I’ve only lost an additional 4 pounds. I’ve been drinking more water add I’m still on soft foods. Is this normal or not? I’ve also been utilizing my treadmill and weights three times a week.

I havent been eating bad things like my husband made a 16 hour smoked pork roast i had three pinches of the meat, I have been doing yogurt and soup i did oatmeal mixed with my protein shake once also. I cant do more than 2/3 onces of food at a time… mostly im doing soup and yogurt now though. Its not really unhealthy food but I had gotten confused with the diet and started the soft foods one week earlier the doctor didnt seemed worried though. It just was messing up my head thinking im off track. Im down 16 lbs so that’s got to be okay. Thank you for the peanut butter advice i love fit pb I’ll probably go buy powder protein shakes and start making them instead also I dont do dairy so maybe that’s another factor.

Yeah that happens. I did that with my pre op diet. I am starting my walking on Monday morning. I am 6 days out so I don’t want to do too much but I want to get started. I can’t wait for week three 😂

Yea I am at week two going on week three i misunderstood my diet and was eating soft foods a week early lol but I do find it hard to swallow the most annoying part is not being able to drink water comfortably really anything ive tried hot drinks and for some reason its better for me to take warm drinks. I got sugar free hot cocoa bc its been cold so far so good also caffeine free spearmint tea has been great. I’m down 16 lbs so far im hoping for a good 10/12 lbs moving forward per month but we shall see! I’m going to start my walking routine tomorrow and im excited for that. Happy loosing 🥰

300-500 calories a day at 6 months seems low, at least by my bariatric teams outline and booklet/plan given to me. I'm at 4 months and eating regular food at 800 per day. I'm told its right on track. Have you spoken to your doctor/dietician? Perhaps do as I was told instead of three meals a day - have 5 small meals to get you to where you need to be? Either way, I'd check with your doctor.