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It takes a good 30 - 60 days to really feel a difference, but you will. I tend to stay away from dairy and I use almond milk for anything requiring milk. I do use shredded cheese in my eggs and in my modified shepherd's pie (we use mashed cauliflower instead of potatoes, and omg I swear it tastes even better). No matter how much dairy you have, you're still going to want to take the extra iron w/ vit c. And the multivitamin is a must no matter what. As for changing things up, that is the best way I've personally found to confuse my body into doing what I want. That and making sure I'm getting enough calories on work out days. I'm glad I was able to help, and good luck!!! Let us know how it goes!!

Hi lovelies, Hope you are all well. Need your thoughts please. Had my VSG 5.5 months ago and these were my stats: Weight: 198/90 KGs Height: 168/5'5-5'6? I started at a BMI of 33, which I understand was on the lower side. Since surgery I have lost weight quite rapidly and I suspect its due to always being at a BMI of 22 my entire adulthood, I ate well, worked out and remained fit even after two pregnancies. My weight issues started 5 years back and then followed by a very bad ankle injury that affected my mobility that I reached my highest weight of 198. I understand that that where my body feels most comfortable at and its decided to take the chance to lose the pounds and run with it. My original goal was 154, and I got there very quickly then I changed my goal many times and settled on 127 which I am currently very close to. My surgeon seems to be a little apprehensive and has told me to try to slow it down and as per him it is very rare that he sees such rapid weight loss on a lower BMI patient. His original comment at 2 months was that the weight I had lost in 2 months was supposed to be my target at 6 months. Last time I saw him he asked me to up my calories to 1500 (currently at almost 800 on weekdays give or take, 600 on weekends because I apparently don't have much of an appetite on weekends). He ordered some bloodwork which I still haven't gone in for. I feel like my health is good, other than hair fall and the customary dizziness when getting up I am in fantastic health, I workout hard, I make good food choices and I prioritize my Protein. I also look great if you ask me. My fear is I am losing too much too fast, and from what I hear and see, you don't quite stop losing until at least 12 months post op, which - according to my projections and calculations - will leave me at 110/50 KGs at 12 months out. That is way too low I fear and I do not want to look like a skeleton. Also I feel I have a huge restriction and I can't eat more than a few bites at a time, drinking Water has become an aversion, I have to drink BCAA and sugar free iced tea to hydrate and tiny sips of water every hour or so. Other than that I eat very well, except I can't eat enough to maintain due to restriction. I am a little worried of my what will happen as the days pass and where I will end up. I don't want to get sick or too frail to work out and lift weights. I want to look good and feel good and I am not sure where my weight loss is heading but I am quite worried at this point. I also get comments on how I have lost half my body weight from people which is quite inaccurate lol but it's a complete shock when I meet someone who I haven't seen in some time, even my colleagues seem to think I'm looking too skinny. Sorry for typing so much, I thought it would be better if you have the full picture so its easier to respond. For anybody who's experience this, any thoughts?

You will get loads of sympathy here OP - for a woman (usually more than a man I think?) our hair is often tied into our identity more generally, for better or worse. Massive weight loss causes our non-essential body functions like hair growth to stall completely. Body thinks - no calories - what can I ditch? I know - hair! Once we get through the biggest rate of loss and our body is regrouping then the stalled follicles get pushed out by new growth. I lost masses of hair in I think 3 distinct phases, about 3 months apart. It's truly properly shocking, that first hair fall. (And for me the second and third - I hope you don't get those too!) Please please be reassured that most of it grows back for most of us. It just takes a while and it's so worth it.

Definitely worrying too much. You won't stretch anything out by drinking too much. If you follow your bariatric diet, you won't stretch your stomach out with food. You won't even eat regular food until 6-8 weeks out. And by then you'll be healed, but have a lot of restriction that will prevent you from over eating. As time goes on, your stomach does stretch a little. That's normal. But it never gets anywhere near the size it was pre-surgery. It's ok, and actually good. As you heal and increase your activity levels, you have to increase your calories and carbs, but again, nowhere what they were pre surgery. Don't be afraid to eat. You can't run a car without gas and you can't run your body without food.

Same here my guidelines are focus on protein and fluids. Calories are mute at this point because I am not really eating a whole lot of anything and its better to just focus on the basics. I was told that later on discussions around calories may happen if I need the help from my nutritional team but somedays I get like 600 calories and somedays I struggle to get 300. I am having a bit of trouble eating more than a few bites at a time of some foods. But I am about a month post op

Do you mind me asking, How many calories did you eat each day while you were losing?

How are you feeling now? You should really speak to your surgeon. At this point, you should definitely be getting more calories in and be able to eat actual food.

woke up at the crack of dawn this morning to get to a 6am hot yoga class...got home FAMISHED and fixed myself ½ a bagel and leftover asparagus (ate it all) around 8am. then got hungry again just now (12:30pm) and made this avocado-and-everything-bagel-seasoning-and sumac open faced sandwich with the other ½ of the bagel from this morning. ate it all!! soooo good 😊 ASIDE: tried on a pair of shorts i used to wear last year when i was 4 lbs LIGHTER than i am now, and they are ridiculously too big on my waist. Lesson: the number on the scale means much less than your measurements. and the number of calories you consume and its effects cannot be translated across everyone. i can easily consume 2500+ calories a day because i exercise like a fiend.. so when ur nutritionist or some well meaning BP member tells you how many calories you should be consuming (or advise on a general macro breakdown) remember that the "sweet spot" is highly individualized and varies HUMUNGOUSLY from person to person. find YOUR own sweet spot and work it from there, cuz no one knows your body better than you. sorry...im feeling very "you-go-girl!" at the moment and feel like i need to inspire lol. working out does that to me lolololzzzzz. 😂😂😂

So, let's say you aim for 80g protein, that's 320 calories. 50-60g carb gives you another 200 to 240 calories. If you set a goal of 1000 calories per day, that leaves you with about 53g of fat per day. But if you track carbs and protein, the fat falls into place because those are the only 3 sources of calories. Oh, dry roasted or raw nuts are a nice source of healthy fat. And you can play around with your ratios of macros a little bit to see what works for you to keep you satisfied and give you enough energy.

At 5 months post-op, 500 calories per day might signal your body to be in starvation mode. Most programs seem to recommend between 800-1000 calories as a benchmark until you reach maintenance. For example, my dietician told me 80g protein and that protein should be 40% of my calories, which works out to around 800 calories per day. Do you have any theories on why you can't eat real food after lunch? You should be able to eat most food by now. I'm only at 3 months post-op and the only foods I've been told to be careful with are asparagus (very fibrous) and steak (but ground beef is fine). Have you tried crockpot chili, or pulled chicken? Maybe navy bean soup with ham? Greek yogurt and fruit? I also like tuna salad or smoked salmon.

Right now I would I get about 500 calories if that

My surgeons office cared about protein, fluids, carbs, and healthy fats for the first 6 months. Then they said to watch calories, but not really before then. They said to keep calories between 700 - 900 on non work out days and 1000 - 1100 on work out days. I did that for a while, but now I have that increased a bit since I'm farther out and do heavier work outs and have a job where I'm on the go all the time (clinical medical assistant at an infectious disease office).

Right off the bat, I say drop your carbs to no more than 50 or 60g per day, get rid of the packaged snacks, and make sure your fluids are where they need to be every day. On days you work out, you need more calories and carbs and fluids. On days you don't, you need less. Make sure you change up your work outs, too. And keep in mind a couple of things. Muscle weighs more than fat, and you've had a kid. It may not be possible for your body to get where it was pre pregnancy.

Ok I'm the QUEEN of stalls lol So here's what I can say. Take from it what you will. Cold hands and feet: I have that, and for me, it's due to weight loss AND low iron. I'm anemic, so I take a bariatric vitamin w/ iron and an additional iron supplement w/ vit c and it keeps my iron levels at the lowest part of normal. When it dips down, my hands and feet are like literal ice cubes. Breaking a long stall: So I tend to gain 3-5 pounds when a stall hits and then lose the same 1-3 pounds over and over until it breaks (and I lose like 6 or 7 pounds all at once). My stalls can last anywhere from several weeks to 3 months. It SUX. When I have a stall, I change up my work out routine to confuse my body. If you do the same things in the same order every day, your body gets used to it and gets complacent and the work out becomes less affective. So I add new things, take things out, add or take away reps, etc. I pay extra close attention to what I eat and when. On work out days, my fluids, protein, calories, and carbs MUST be higher because if not, my body thinks it's starving and holds on to everything. I prioritize fluids, protein, and low carb above all else, but I still make sure that I'm at a calorie deficit while getting in enough to prevent my body from thinking its starving. I also only weigh myself once per week and pay special attention to NSVs, because even when the scale isn't doing what you want, your body still is. Fat gets redistributed, you slim down, that's when you see you drop sizes in clothes, rings, etc... When I work out, I keep my calories at around 1300 - 1400 depending on what work outs I do. I drink an electrolyte drink (Propel or gatorade zero) and an additional 64oz of fluids at LEAST. I keep my protein at 80-90g, my carbs at 40-50g, and healthy fats at 40-50g. When I'm not working out, I keep my calories at around 1000 - 1150, my fluids at around 64oz, my protein between 60-70g, my carbs between 20-30g, and my healthy fats between 20-30g. We need less when we aren't working out. We need more when we are. Just keep at a deficit while still providing more when working out. And make sure you change up the work outs. Right now, your body is really confused. You have to be patient with it, but at the same time, show it who's boss and shake things up to get it going again. You still have time to get where you want to be. Make sure you're not grazing through the day, be mindful what you're eating, when, and how often. Go back to your bariatric diet basics if you need to. You got this.

I agree that you may not need a calorie goal especially this early on. My office did not have a strict rule on calories but I was like you and wanted that structure so they told me that they recommended 600 calories by month 2 and 800 calories by month 3 and then 1000 by month 6. Not to go over 1000 until goal weight after that. Protein was always the most important but I was encouraged to eat some carbs too. You have to watch yourself later on though and set your own guidelines. Probably around month 3 you will start to see how you lose or not lose with the calories you take in. I found out that if I was under 800 I would stall and if I ate over 1200 I would stop losing. Other people can't eat over 800 and still lose and some, especially those that exercise a lot can't eat less that 1200 or stall. So your calorie needs may be different but I hope this helps. Good luck!

Good morning! I had gastric bypass on 4/12/21. My highest ever was 293. I had surgery at 262. My lowest at my year mark was 135. Found out I was pregnant extremely fast after hitting my lowest and cannot budge out of the 150-155 range and I’m getting discouraged. I'm eating between 66 to 120 g of protein depending on the day. My fat intake I think is too high at around 70g, my net carbs range greatly between low 30’s to 100 g depending. My calories also vary between 800’s to 1200’s and I need to find the best range for losing weight while exercising now I started working out with the treadmill while concentrating on strength training and core workouts to help tummy skin shrinkage. I still have my restriction and often cannot even eat more than 4-6 oz a meal. I eat what I can of some fruit and veggies but mainly I’ll eat protein snacks like Catalina crunch, some small stuff from Atkins, Kodiak cake snacks sometimes. To name a few. I also drink a protein shake once a day which is either of the brand Ryze or Iso100 with 12oz of Fairlife low fat milk. Just to paint a picture. I work in corrections on night shift so there isn’t much moving around at night. But…I’m here to ask for advice and recommendations to help kickstart weight loss again. I’m miserable!!! please help if you can.

I spoke to my dietician today and 800 calories is normal for 9 months PO until I hit goal for my bariatric clinic. I was told this; if I'm hungry all the time I can go up to 1000 per day but no more than that until I hit my goal and go into maintenance. I agree 800 is restrictive, but apparently its normal for everyone at my clinic. I figured I'd let everyone know with an update. 🤷🏼‍

I also didn't get any calorie guidelines -- even fat/etc. I got protein goals, and was just told to keep my sugars and carbs as low as I could for the first month. When I started on soft foods, they gave me a bit more advice for carb/sugar limits and fibre goals but it was a pretty broad range. My team basically said it was because every 'body' is different and will react/thrive/etc with different levels, but that while still technically in 'recovery' it's more important to focus on protein and nutrients that you need as opposed to the fats/carbs to limit. I mostly did my own research, put a limit in my food tracking app, and am making my own notes on what amounts I can have over a day and still be on track. Like for me personally, my targets are 80g+ protein, and under 45g carbs & 25g fats per day. I can go over one or the other by 5-10 grams without it seeming to affect my weight loss, as long as it's not both on the same day. (Most days it's not even an issue but I'm still only 2 months in myself. Early days!)

i should also disclose that i am a grazer by necessity (and habit). its the only way i can get the amount of calories i need to maintain COMFORTABLY. i read alot on here that this way of eating is not recommended (heck even my NUT said i should be having set meals and snacks) and that its a slippery slope and is a sure path to weight regain, but its been working for ME for over 5 years, so yeah...its just what i do.

i know its already been said to death, but ill say it again: the number on the scale is just a number, and the same number looks totally different on you at different times of your life. 127 lbs at 46 yrs old looked absolutely skeletal on me vs 105 lbs when i was 16. then, 115 lbs at 50 yrs old looks soooo much fitter and healthier on me at 52 vs either of the weights above. changes in nutrition and exercise and sleep and stress levels and hydration may not reflect on the scale as much as calorie intake does, but they are all HUGE factors in appearance and overall well being. in short: try not to be a scale slave, lol full disclosure: i weigh my self everyday, though its more a data gathering exercise, and definitely not a source of angst for me. so long as i still fit in my clothes and feel awesome, im good.

this early out, most of us don't get calorie guidelines. You're eating far too little to really worry about calories. Most of us just get protein and fluid goals (and some get carb goals, if their clinic's plan calls for ultra-low carbs - mine did not). I didn't start considering calories until I was a few months out and could eat enough that there was a risk of consuming too many calories.

My dietician only gave me protein and carb guidelines. She told.me not to worry about calories. She has me at 100 grams of protein and 59 grams of carbs per day. I also workout everyday. Even if its as simple as walking. So I always go over the guidelines But it's not enough to say im over doing it. 100-130 is where I normally stay 50-65 carbs. Depending on what food I eat the calories range from.1200-1400. Again, calories aren't the important issue. Getting your protein and carb goals in is what you need. Along with staying hydrated. I'm 3 1/2 months post op.

Not everyone is given calorie goals. I wasn’t. There are some discussions about calories & a push to concentrate more on the quality of food you are eating. 500 calories is 500 calories regardless of wherever it’s a meal of steamed fish & vegetables or a burger & fries. However the nutrient difference is significant. However, if you would feel more comfortable with some caloric guidelines for as you progress, you have every right to ask for them. Beware though you may not be able to meet the caloric goals for a while & that’s okay. As long as you’re hitting those protein & fluid goals & slowly incorporating some vegetables you’ll be fine. I was given portion size guidelines: 1/4 - 1/3 of a cup from purée slowly increasing to a cup at 6 months slowly increasing again to be about accepted recommended portion sizes. So for example 3-4ozs of protein & a cup of vegetables which is where you likely will be around maintenance. Your advice may be different but our needs are likely different too. But it may be a starting point until you get a more definitive response from your dietician. PS Congratulations on your surgery.

Hi all, I am 3 weeks post-op, and I don’t have any calorie guides from my nutritionist. She only focuses on protein intake and low carb options. In the past I have used calories as my main indicator and am struggling a little with diet conceptions now and after the transition periods without them. I have a goal of 60 g of protein a day and 1-1.5 l of liquids for hydration. I was just wondering if anyone has daily calorie guidelines that they can share?? Tia!

A bariatric therapist is absolutely worth any time and money invested. Also reach out to the nutritionist at your surgeon's office. Make sure you move your body everyday. Prioritize protein and fluids (try limiting slider foods and junk as much as possible). If you must snack (beyond the allotted ones in the diet your nutritionist gave you) make sure they are healthy but tasty. Look at the calories you're burning vs consuming. Watch your carbs and fats. Watch how much sugar and salt you consume. It's really all about getting back to basics. And there's no easy way to change your mindset, you kind of just have to really want the results more than you want to undo the progress you made. Then you have to retrain your brain.