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Have you tried getting out your before photos and doing a side by side or trying on an old article of clothing. I mean, you could just be having kind of a blah week and associating that with weight. Sometimes we all can just kind of feel off. Try to think back on all of your non scale victories, and where you were before you started this journey. Maybe that will remind you of how far you have come!!

Really struggling this week and for no particular reason. Its hard to articulate, but I feel fat even though I am still losing and am now living an active lifestyle. I cant place my finger on why but having a 'fat' week where I feel like I've gone back to pre-surgery feelings about my size. I was doing so well mentally until this week. Anyone else feel like this randomly

I am so thrilled for your loss and the way you are feeling especially. Just try not to get too wrapped up in making a goal in two weeks. That’s a pretty short timeframe and just a one week stall could prevent you from reaching it. Even though we all know the way our bodies work, you may drop it all two days later. I like to try to predict my loss as well and I know that it has messed with my head a couple of times. Perhaps it’s just me but I get discouraged when I don’t need a goal even though it’s an imaginary one this morning. I was really expecting to drop that few pounds that I usually drop after stalling for a while and gaining a bit, well, I did not even drop one and I felt pretty bummed Until I realized it’s 6 AM and I jumped up the moment the alarm went off and got right into my walking because I was able to sleep at a reasonable hour to fall asleep easily and sleep all through the night waking up refreshed which I haven’t done in years because of all of the changes that have occurred In the last few months. That in itself is a huge win and I don’t want to lose sight of that as I try to achieve these other goals. I am looking forward to getting under 200, getting to overweight instead of obese, reaching my goal, eventually getting to a normal BMI if that’s in the cards for me, and finally reaching my secret goal. I am just really trying to figure out a way to wrap my head around the fact that even if I don’t reach my secret goal or get to a normal BMI, I am still 100 times healthier and happier than I was before. I really really really do not want to lose sight of that. I got so discouraged about 18 pounds with my sleeve that when I started gaining I think I gave up too easily. I still don’t think about the sleeve was the right surgery for me and what my body needed, but I probably could have kept some of the weight off a little longer. anyways, I am really glad that you decided to do what you thought was best for your body and that it is working for you it’s such a shame that these nutritionist are a little bit more helpful to giving more individualized plans. I am off to my surgeons office this morning, and the automated recording that called me said I was in to see the PA and not the NP that I have been seeing. I am really hoping that he gives me the same help with my food to make sure I am on track and my fitness as well. At the very least, I will find out what my labs looked like though I got an email that the results were ready four or five days ago but I decided not to even look. I figured it would only panic me trying to figure everything out on my own and with my anxiety I would’ve worked myself into something that’s not necessary. oh, and I found a local gym that has a lot of classes that look fun and when I added it up will actually be cheaper than what I’m doing now. It’s pretty tiny and when I popped in to the main gym part, it did not really seem my scene but I’m hoping that the classes are different. My friend told me that she would go to check out a class with me Saturday morning and if it seems promising, I’m going to check out a couple more this week. They have a day pass rate They don’t have yoga early in the mornings at this new place, so I probably will still take my yoga class, but even if I did both, it would still be a little less and I would have the added benefit that I could add more classes at the gym since those are unlimited. I really like to exercise every day for now. Eventually, I think I will probably give myself a free day or two, but until I feel like this is absolutely cemented in my brain as my new normal I want to just keep it up daily.

I am so thrilled for your loss and the way you are feeling especially. Just try not to get too wrapped up in making a goal in two weeks. That’s a pretty short timeframe and just a one week stall could prevent you from reaching it. Even though we all know the way our bodies work, you may drop it all two days later. I like to try to predict my loss as well and I know that it has messed with my head a couple of times. Perhaps it’s just me but I get discouraged when I don’t need a goal even though it’s an imaginary one this morning. I was really expecting to drop that few pounds that I usually drop after stalling for a while and gaining a bit, well, I did not even drop one and I felt pretty bummed Until I realized it’s 6 AM and I jumped up the moment the alarm went off and got right into my walking because I was able to sleep at a reasonable hour to fall asleep easily and sleep all through the night waking up refreshed which I haven’t done in years because of all of the changes that have occurred In the last few months. That in itself is a huge win and I don’t want to lose sight of that as I try to achieve these other goals. I am looking forward to getting under 200, getting to overweight instead of obese, reaching my goal, eventually getting to a normal BMI if that’s in the cards for me, and finally reaching my secret goal. I am just really trying to figure out a way to wrap my head around the fact that even if I don’t reach my secret goal or get to a normal BMI, I am still 100 times healthier and happier than I was before. I really really really do not want to lose sight of that. I got so discouraged about 18 pounds with my sleeve that when I started gaining I think I gave up too easily. I still don’t think about the sleeve was the right surgery for me and what my body needed, but I probably could have kept some of the weight off a little longer. anyways, I am really glad that you decided to do what you thought was best for your body and that it is working for you it’s such a shame that these nutritionist are a little bit more helpful to giving more individualized plans. I am off to my surgeons office this morning, and the automated recording that called me said I was in to see the PA and not the NP that I have been seeing. I am really hoping that he gives me the same help with my food to make sure I am on track and my fitness as well. At the very least, I will find out what my labs looked like though I got an email that the results were ready four or five days ago but I decided not to even look. I figured it would only panic me trying to figure everything out on my own and with my anxiety I would’ve worked myself into something that’s not necessary. oh, and I found a local gym that has a lot of classes that look fun and when I added it up will actually be cheaper than what I’m doing now. It’s pretty tiny and when I popped in to the main gym part, it did not really seem my scene but I’m hoping that the classes are different. My friend told me that she would go to check out a class with me Saturday morning and if it seems promising, I’m going to check out a couple more this week. They have a day pass rate They don’t have yoga early in the mornings at this new place, so I probably will still take my yoga class, but even if I did both, it would still be a little less and I would have the added benefit that I could add more classes at the gym since those are unlimited. I really like to exercise every day for now. Eventually, I think I will probably give myself a free day or two, but until I feel like this is absolutely cemented in my brain as my new normal I want to just keep it up daily.

Here's my one-week update after making some adjustments! I've been focusing on protein-rich meals and keeping my intake under 1,000 calories, leaving a bit of room for those extra nibbles. My protein has been between 70-100 grams, and guess what, ladies? I lost 2.2 kg this week, bringing my total loss to 16 kg! I'm so thrilled—I feel leaner, lighter, and fresher, with no hunger cues at all (which feels strange, honestly). If all goes well, I’ll be out of the 90s in just two weeks, which feels like a dream come true!

i had arm lift, breast lift and tummy tuck in Canada, and paid roughly 15K CAD for all three (back in 2019); that's about 11K in today's US dollars. Mind you, i did get the panniculectomy portion of the tummy tuck covered by provincial insurance which i believe saved me about 6K CAD.

Okay, first, once you have the surgery you will not physically be able to eat that fast without throwing up and/or being miserable with pain. So you'll learn real quick to slow down when the time comes. Trust me. In the meantime, here is what you do to practice and start training yourself. First, if you can, make a commitment to only eat from a real plate while sitting at an actual table for the next two weeks. No eating standing up in the kitchen with two minutes to go before you have to leave or grabbing a handful of something from the pantry as you walk past. Second, get yourself a timer. It can be a kitchen one, or one of those little sand ones that go for a minute, or just the timer on your phone. Whatever works. When you sit down to eat, take a small bite of food. This means something about the size of your thumbnail, or even half that size. Set the timer for one minute. Put your fork and knife down. Chew. Keep chewing. Chew more than you have ever chewed before in your life. Your food will be like paste. You should feel no lumps in your mouth. At this point, swallow. If there is time left on your timer, sit and wait. Only when the timer goes off do you pick up the fork for another bite. Before you take that bite, ask yourself if you feel like you need another bite. Presurgery, your answer is probably going to be yes. But post surgery, this is a point where you might start to think wait, I feel pretty satisfied. This is when you want to stop eating, because with a limited capacity, you will fill up really fast and might overshoot and feel ill. If that's all you do, you will be fine. If you want to be more mindful, ask yourself some questions as you eat. Maybe ask what you like about this food and think about that. Think about the texture and taste. Think about how your body is responding to eating. Do you feel tense? Are you relaxed? Are you feeling any emotions as you start eating, and do those emotions shift as you eat? Use some of your time between bites to write down some observations. You don't really have to do all of that, but on the other hand, you might be surprised by what you learn if you do. Also, I will say that I struggled a lot with this presurgery but the slow eating is second nature now. When I forget, I don't feel well, so I have a lot of incentive to slow down. You will too! Just do what you can to practice now so your nutritionist is happy with your progress. I will almost guarantee if you keep a notebook for the next week or two with what you ate and when, how long it took from start to finish, and some reflections on the food and how your body was feeling while you ate, you will pass with flying colors.

Sure. She was concerned that I was eating too fast when I told her that I was eating my meals within like 5-10 minutes. She said that I can't do that with the surgery because not only will I be miserable with vomiting and diarrhea and nausea and the like but I likely would undo the gastric sleeve surgery. She said I should aim for eating my meals in 20-30 minutes preferably 30-40. This seems like an impossible goal for me especially when I see her again in just 2 weeks. She also wants me to savor each bite and focus on the food or something like that. I don't really understand it to be completely honest with you. Mostly I just wanted to work on eating slower over the next two weeks so that when I do get the surgery I don't get sick and undo the surgery and "pass" with her so I can get the surgery. I can fake my way out of the mindfulness part of it or just tell her that it won't work for me and if it's a crucial part of the surgery than maybe bariatric surgery isn't the right option for me.

So I have one more thing to pass before my surgery and that's being cleared by the nutritionist. My surgery was going to be scheduled for November but it's being postponed for a few weeks because the nutritionist failed me this morning because I haven't been practicing mindful eating and that apparently can completely reverse the effects of my surgery. I've been trying to practice mindful eating now for months but I honestly just don't get it and I've never gotten mindfulness in general. Being schizophrenic myself they've tried to teach me about mindfulness several times and I've never gotten it and it's never worked for me. So is this it and the end of my journey and I'll have to try to lose 150 pounds on my own (I weigh 440) or is it not as hopeless as I think? I've got two weeks to learn mindful eating before my next appointment with her so is there any tips from people who've struggled to learn mindful eating in the past?

I love thrifting. I never found clothes either. I’m starting to find them already, though. I am buying them in sizes smaller than I am now. Giving me something to look forward to. Thrift stores are an excellent place to find exercise clothes. Many of them are practically brand new and then people that do use them drop sizes like we are so they are always being donated. I need to go and start looking for something for holiday lunches. I have a few craft groups so I will have at least three lunches in addition to the family stuff. And for that I guess I need clothes too. I have been living in my exercise clothes for the past two months because they fit and they are so comfy. I guess now my incisions are healed I should find some pants that fit. 🤣

Yea. I figure that I go over my protein goal on days by two or three grams so that one random day wont kill me. I try to do a shake or a yogurt but I don’t force myself too much.

Great win. 🥇 I am loving it too. I am actually walking right now back-and-forth at my house. I try to get 2 miles in before I go to my group fitness class. Which today is yoga, my favorite. I take the classes at my community center. It was easier to get started there because they’re fairly inexpensive for one or two classes and there’s no contract so it seemed like much less of a commitment. Now that I am taking four classes a week that kinda adds up to what a gym membership would be though so I may look into that at some point. Honestly, I really like the women in my group classes though. They are just average women looking to get healthy and super nice. maybe that is the case with gyms as well I honestly haven’t been in so many years.

I’m starting to notice a pattern. The dreaded stalls and the gained pound for me seems to come after the too good to be true weight loss 🤣 basically what I’m saying is when I lose a couple of pounds quicker than my normal rate then I may go a week without dropping anything or I actually gain a pound or two before I lose again. But the overall my rate of loss for the last 30 days remains pretty consistent. It is super helpful to have that weight log in the Baritastic app. It automatically calculates your loss over the past seven days the past 30 days the past 90 days. Plus, it has a really cool little line graph so that you can see the steady loss also, you can track your measurements on there which is a nice way to keep them because I tend to lose things written on paper. 🤣

Lots of great advice here but I will add my experience with having done this before and just having a revision that exercising and eating clean makes it so much easier. My mood and energy level are so much better this time and head hunger is pretty non existent so far (part of which is a greater metabolic change witb the more aggressive surgery I’m sure but when I don’t exercise as much or I eat processed junk I can feel the difference part of it may also be that I’m just too darn busy to think much about food). For me carbs crave carbs. I learned this after my sleeve but I wasn’t super careful with it. I’m not taking about the better carbs from fruits and veggies, but the processed type. Eating even a smaller portion is a slippery slope for me so I will avoid these as long as I can and if I do have them I know I will have to white knuckle it a few days through the cravings. I make all my food from scratch and freezing food has made it possible to not cook every night. I freeze small portions and I have a note in my phone if what’s on the freezer by date. When I wake up and look at my calendar as I’m drinking my proffee (chilled coffee and protein shake) I decide if I have time to cook and if not I pull a bag out of the freezer and put in the fridge. Then when I get home I put it on the counter or defrost in microwave if necessary time wise and make a veggie to throw it together. A really nutritious and yummy dinner done in 10-15 minutes and bonus, a lot less dishes. I started walking early out and added group classes that are offered at my community center and now i am up every morning walking first thing. I actually put on exercise clothes after my shower and sleep In them and first thing I’m already dressed and ready to go for my walk. ooh and the support groups that my team offers are great in addition to staying very active on here. I actually met a walking buddy there and we walk together down by the river once a week, the day that I don’t have group classes and we cheer each other in in addition to the once a month in person support group meeting. I also chose to tell more people this time. Some were against it but I educated them and now they are starting to come around about it. I think it will be easier fir me to say no thank you to food when everyone around me knows my goals. The first time I did this so many people would say to me you’re doing so good. You can have one slice of pizza or one brownie but the problem was this was my family and I was around them several days a week so just this one became just three or four. I actually told them that when I see pizza or brownies, I already want one bad enough on my own. I don’t need someone else tempting me. I think they got it. We’ll see. I guess if they do it this time.

I felt hunger from the first week post op, it never disappeared. In fact I was starving on the first week of liquids. at 10+ months post op some days I feel ravenous (especially on days I lift very heavy) and some days I'm not interested in eating. How did/do you cope? To be very honest the first week is very hard and generally the first 6 weeks are tough not gonna lie. I hated eating soups and mushy foods. I hated the feeling of my restriction but what made it all worth it was the progress I witnessed on a daily basis. The pounds were melting off and I was so ecstatic about that. Do you have/need coping mechanisms in place- if so what? I traveled. That really helped, I traveled at 3 weeks post op, 3 months post op, 6 months and 8 months post op. I went back to exercising and took up Pilates. I regularly checked in with a friend who's had VSG before me. All these things helped me cope plus the weight melting off!! Does it get easier? It really does. You will look and feel better, you will re-learn how to eat and it'll be okay. Do you have any helpful advice for a newbie like me? Take it one day at a time. Don't be too hard on yourself. Don't compare yourself or your progress to anyone. The first few months are a gift, use them but also free your mind of food anxiety and accept that you are not perfect and you will make mistakes and learn from them. Oh and indulge in movement you enjoy (it makes a big difference, physically and mentally).

I’m a while out now (5.5yrs). I was one who never felt hungry. The first time I did was at about 8 months & I honestly took a while to work out what was wrong. I felt restless. Something wasn’t right and it certainly wasn’t anything like what I thought was hunger before. It wasn’t until I reflected back on my day that I realised I’d been busy and hadn’t eaten much. Then it was a couple of months again before I started to feel hunger more often. Because of my lack of hunger I ate to a routine, still do, to ensure I met my protein goals and other nutritional needs. I wasn’t someone who ate to sooth themselves in fact I tended to be the opposite and wouldn’t eat. If you are someone who always has used food as a comfort the first weeks can be a challenge as it’s a stressful time ( physically & mentally). You may be emotional too because of the hormonal flush from the estrogen stored in your fat that is released as you lose weight. Generally if you are craving a specific texture, flavour or food that is head hunger. Check your emotions: are you feeling sad, angry, bored, lost, etc.? Then it’s head hunger. Is your tummy rumbling? Again head hunger & also from excess tummy acid. (You’ll continue to produce the amount of acid you used to need for the volume of food you ate & your larger tummy. You’ll likely be prescribed a PPI to counteract the excess acid but if not ask for a script to help.) Distraction can be very useless at these times. Read, craft, go for a walk, contact a friend or family member, meditate, check this forum, etc. Often a warm drink can be helpful. I also agree with @NeonRaven8919’s advice of finding a therapist. Many find the support & strategies they can offer vey helpful. All the best.

I’m still fairly new to the game (only 8 weeks out from sleeve surgery), but I look at it as I have invested a lot of money, time and energy into this surgery and so I want to make good choices now. I don’t want the money and hard work to go to waste. I am losing slowly but it’s still rewarding to see the pounds drop on the scale and it makes me want to keep making good choices.

I am 8 weeks out from the sleeve and I am losing slower than I would like too. I am not drinking (but sometimes I will take a sip to try my husband’s drink- it keeps me from missing it so much). I think sometimes it’s genetics. I’m on average getting about 1000 calories a day and usually hitting the 60-80g of protein every day. I try to make good choices but it’s frustrating not to be where you want to be. One thing my friend tells me is that me losing weight slowly now validates that I needed the surgery, because of how hard it was for me to lose weight without it and that I never would have been successful without it. I don’t know if that makes sense, but it helps me feel like I made the right choice when I’m struggling with not losing more.

I have always cooked 99% of our family meals. They were healthy and full of vegetables. My problem is because I love my own cooking. I would eat a huge amount especially carbs. Oh and butter...... Oh and chocolate ....... I took me a long time to be able to eat solids after surgery, I had a swollen internal scar so I had to stick to liquids. Once my restriction kicked in at about 8 weeks I could eat soft meats and some vegetables. After that I could run with it At about 2 years out, I tried carbs again and could eat a tablespoon of rice, noodles or a slice of good seeded bread. I have left them off my menu so long that eating meals without a pile of them is no big deal. I don't miss the over stuffed feeling. I can't say this will last forever but I intend to keep a check on my calories because I am the skinny person I always wanted to be. I still have butter and chocolate in small amounts. I will watch that.

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.

Oh, perfect timing. I’m picking up my ground turkey today to make turkey meatballs one day this week. I plan to double the recipe this time because my hubby likes them too and I intend to freeze a bunch. I think I’m going to make half with seeds and half without just in case we don’t love the crunch. Sounds good though.

I don't think I ate anything that made me sick post op, except for sugar (I am sure it is a form of dumping). At 10+ months post op I eat everything, and by everything I mean I can eat everything and feel fine, my portions are much smaller of course. I eat tacos, burgers, sushi, noodles, pizza and even dessert but in smaller amounts. I eat out 2-3 times a week. Here are some things I follow that help me eat what I feel for in moderation: - I do not drink my calories, other than an oat/almond flat white, all my drinks are calorie free. I do not drink alcohol nor sugary drinks. I drink water, diet soda and coffee and that's about it. - I limit deep fried food, I almost always opt for grilled/air fried/baked. If there's a portion of fries and I really want some, I will have one or two and stop. - I prioritize protein 90% of the time. On weekdays I always start with my protein, then my veggies THEN a tiny bit of carbs if I have space (most of the time there is not much space left). When I'm out for a nice dinner or I've ordered in I will eat my order the way it is and will not pick the protein first, so if I've ordered a burger I will eat it as it, or if it is sushi i will eat that and not worry about protein first, but that is only a couple times a week. - I make tweaks and substitute when taste isn't compromised. I love my big mac tacos but I don't want to be eating 200+ calories from a tortilla, so I substitute that with a mission low carb because I really can't taste the difference, or it's negligible. I also substitute wheat toast for protein toast (still occasionally eat sourdough because I love it and can taste the difference). I also opt for low fat milk/dairy/meats when I can, but I will not substitute cheddar for a low fat version for example because MELTED CHEDDAR 🤤 - I eat carbs in tiny amounts. So if I'm snacking and picked up a cookie, I will eat a bit of it or half at most. If it is a slice of cake I make sure it is tiny or I will eat half the slice, if it's ice cream it is half a scoop. I can't tolerate much of sugar and it makes me ill but I will taste/try. And it has to be WORTH IT. I will not eat something for the sake of eating it, I should really want to try/eat it, and if it ends up not being good, I will not continue eating it. - I workout a lot, I lift, I run, I do Pilates, I cycle and close my steps. I stay active. If you can control your portions and refrain from the "all or nothing mindset" it is very possible to eat what you like and maintain your results, at the end of the day it's calories in vs calories out. Also, my moto is that life is too short to be living miserably (I love food LOL). I will however say that I recommend that you hit maintenance first before exploring with the above. I was VERY strict during weight loss and ate 100% clean.

Not sure if this is a win? my weight has pretty much remained the same for 1.5 months now, but the last couple of weeks my arms, abs and legs have shown a lot more definition and my pants definitely feel looser. I’m more or less the same weight In both pictures but I can tell my body composition is different. September: October:

I've been trying to puree tuna with some yogurt instead of mayo and I think it's just too much for me right now. (three weeks post op) But I I've definitely taken the advice about blended thick soups so they are thinner and cottage cheese. I also had some cream of tomato soup and blended some cottage cheese into it and it enhanced the flavour of both. I used to love cottage cheese when I lived in the US, but it doesn't have the same texture as the UK so I didn't like it anymore. Now, it's a godsend. Funny how life works. I'm really struggling with purees so I'm going to stay on liquids for an extra week.

Im 3 weeks post op and I just want to eat solid food again. Anything solid. You will be surprised how you feel post-op versus pre-op. Your priorities will change.