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Hi- im 5’2’’ and started at 195. I lost 12lbs in the three weeks I had to surgery, then went into surgery at 183.6. I am currently 8 weeks and 3 days, and weigh 155.6 today. I agree- it will come and I’d prefer to lose more slowly so my skin has some chance of recovering too- even though i know that is a bit of a pipe dream. I try to keep in mind this is not a magic wand, it comes down to my choices with this tool I’ve acquired. I am still only eating 2-3 oz at a time, 2-3 small “meals” a day and a protein shake to make sure i hit my protein goals. Im hitting fluid goals at about 68-70oz fluid, so still working on that too. Also, I think my body has some memory of these weights, and I tend to get “hung” around some that i stayed at before- ie, 165, current one 155, and coming up 145… so expecting some resistance on these numbers- and more slowly as i get closer to goal. I do FEEL tons better though- less joint pain and tiredness, so that is a WIN! For me, the numbers on the scale mean less that how I feel- so im enjoying it!

My program does 2 nicotine tests; the first within several weeks of surgery, and the second on the morning of surgery.

Thanks! The sipping never stops. Or at least that's how it feels at the moment. I know one day it'll be more normal. Best of luck on your surgery next week.

I had mine on 4/28, too. Getting all of my protein and fluid in has been a struggle. The last couple of days have been easier though. I am getting about 50-60 protein and 50 fluid. (last week I had days I was lucky to get 24 ounces of fluid in a day) I was almost 15 lbs down since surgery date as of yesterday morning. I woke up and weighed this morning and I was up half a pound. I am assuming that is b/c I am finally consuming the amount of fluids I should be (or closer to it) . I have got to stop weighing in every day.

Hello All, I came to this site when I was doing research for my own surgery which was completed in December of 2021. I found it difficult to find numerous relatable stories from men who had weight loss surgery. Hence, I thought I would share my experience. I am a 56 year old male and I would consider myself just another guy. I started my own new business in 2015. If you have ever started a new business from zero, then you know it is a very stressful experience. Consequently, I gained 20 pounds a year for, roughly, six consecutive years. My weight ballooned to an all time high of 353 pounds. If it wasn't nailed to the floor, I ate it. If it was cold, I drank it. I take full responsibility for my actions. I freely made the decision to consume all of the food and drink. I also found ways to justify eliminating my regular exercise routine during this time period. Towards the end of 2021, from a health perspective, I was miserable. I had trouble walking any sort of distance. My poor dogs felt neglected because I could not walk with them. I had a difficult time standing for any length of time because my lower back would begin to ache. I was beginning to have problems with my joints, especially my knees and ankles. From an emotional perspective, I also had issues. I had to search for restaurants with tables instead of sitting at a cozy booth because I could longer fit in any booth. It is an awful feeling to ask, "Can I have that table over there instead of this booth?" It seemed to me they knew I asked because I couldn't fit in the space. I was forced to buy bigger clothes. Soon, those clothes didn't fit and I had to buy even bigger clothes. My clothes needed to be purchased in the "fashion forward" Big & Tall section of stores and websites. I began to hate to have my photo taken because I did not like the way in which I appeared in the photos. To me, the person who looked back at me in the mirror looked nothing like the person who appeared in those photos. Who was that guy in those photos? Was that really me? I began to feel self conscious about eating in front of other people. I just had this feeling they were saying, "look at how much food that fat guy is eating." while I was eating a slice of pizza. I found myself buying food to eat in the car while I was driving so no one would see me. I justified the binge eating by telling myself I was hungry and didn't have enough calories at such and such a place. I grew tired of family members asking me if I was "okay" each time they saw me. I grew tired of friends asking me if I was able to "manage" going somewhere with them. Consequently, people started to avoid me. It was my own fault. I was grouchy all the time. If you are reading this, perhaps you have had similar feelings to my own. I made the decision I needed a little help. I began to look for a surgical procedure to assist me in my weight loss journey. I decided to have gastric sleeve surgery. As previously stated, my surgery was completed in December of 2021. I followed my surgeon's instructions explicitly. I ate what they told me to eat. I drank what they told me to drink. I used an app on my phone to track every calorie. When permitted, I began a regular exercise routine. The routine began with cardio and, over time, I added weight training too. Day after day and week after week, I developed better habits. I ate better foods and less calories. My cardio improved and my strength improved. Oh, I also lost weight...a lot of weight. My weight went from 353 pounds to 199 pounds. Yes, that's right. Today, I weigh less than 200 pounds. My total weight loss has been a whopping 154 pounds in 17 months. My waist size shrunk from 48 inches to 34 inches. My shirt size went from XXX-Large to Large. Hell, even my shoes lost 1/2 of a size. The feeling has been incredible. Nothing tastes as good as thin feels. Today, I continue to perform cardio four days per week and I lift weights every other day. Luckily I have had no ill side effects from the surgery. I feel great. I feel like others who have described losing a lot of weight...fantastic. Apologies to you if I have rambled on too long. Hopefully you find something here in which you can relate. Good luck in your journey. All the best.

I read an article that stated that revisions mainly work for those that the original sleeve was done incorrectly. Which is why many surgeons warn their patient that they will likely only lose about 40 lbs. While that may be true, you have a wonderful tool to help you continue to get healthy, and if you stay within the guidelines, for at least 80% of the time, your weight WILL come off. Keep hydrated, don't drink till at least 30 min later, protein first, eat healthy, keep in touch with your team during stalls.

I did mine like two weeks before they submitted to insurance

Much love and good wishes to all the surgeries this week!! We are all here for your moral support!

My first trip was 30 days post op, second at 7 weeks. I took some protein powder (whey and the fruity one) and some Gatorade protein, they come in small packets. Other than that I found it easy to get protein first even when eating out, stuck to lean proteins, eggs, and yogurt. I mentally divided my meals in 4 servings and took leftovers for later or shared my meal with someone. On one occasion I took quest protein chips, not the best option but the bag fills me up and has 20g, now I do the mini quest protein bar as an emergency back up plan.

I have very thick hair so losing some won't be an issue. Every Spring I cut my hair into a long shag with lots of layers and texturing. Feels so much lighter going into Summer. This year and 5 weeks out from surgery, I'm debating if I should be purposely thinning my hair out and get the cut. 🤔

Update- I had my revision from VSG to bypass on 2/7. As of today I’ve lost 33 pounds. I lost 13 prior to surgery so it is definitely coming off much slower this time. I seem to stall out for a couple of weeks at a time and then lose. This surgery was the hardest thing I’ve ever done and I’m worried this is all I will lose. I have a torn meniscus in my knee and really need this weight off. Of course it is affecting me working out. Going for a gel shot for it today.

Hey all! Just a quick update. I'm just over a week out from surgery and doing well. Certain things like sneezing or coughing still cause me some abdominal pain. But it's getting better. I'm having the most trouble with fatigue. I'm doing well at getting my goals in, or at least close to it. So I'm not sure what's going on. On a happy note, since the start of my pre-op diet, until now, I've lost 25lbs in 3 weeks. I can see some subtle changes, and it is wonderful.

I was (and still am occasionally) lightheaded, dizzy, and weak. It started a week or two post op and was pretty consistent for a few weeks. It gradually got better as I was able to eat and drink more. Now it is pretty rare. I had an episode yesterday and before that, it had been weeks. I would still give your team a call, if it concerns you.

Had bypass on March 20th. Down 18lbs since surgery. On soft foods. Stall a lot. Good energy. Restless sleep. Blood sugar, blood pressure numbers are way down. Struggle a bit with keeping my fiber numbers on track but still having a daily bowel movement

Hi all. I had bypass on March 10th down 2.5 stone. Its stalls (on second stall) and goes again. Restriction much better, eating everything now. Energy great. Loving how my clothes fit now! Im wondering if not racing my protein/fluid intake have something to do with it??? But so happy

I was sleeved on March 7th, with a 2 week Pre-Op Diet. I lost 20 lbs prior to surgery and since I’m down another 25 lbs and 4 inches off my waist. I get on the scale way too often! I can tolerate almost anything and I’m still on soft foods. I work out 6 days a week; a Pilates workout, 30 minutes on a stationary bike and an arm workout with a resistance band instead of weights. I’ve somehow made the mental switch to eating to live and I look at food completely different now. I’m rarely hungry and sometimes forget to eat. I have a huge sweet tooth and I’ve been worried about never having sugar again. I bought a Ninja Creami and problem solved!! The ice cream I can make tastes great !! So far the only regret I have is not doing this sooner. My team is happy with my progress so far and I’m looking forward to creating my new look. I am freaking out a little about the possibility of losing my hair. If it happens around 3 months, that’s next month for me. I have a lot more energy.

My hand is up. I’m 5’3” & weighed 200lbs when I started. I lost to my goal by 6 months (132lbs - so loss of 68lbs). I kept losing very slowly for another 10 or so months until I reached 108lbs - a total loss of 94lbs. I’ve been pretty much stable since then aside from little fluctuations & I’ll be 4 years out on the weekend. There is no right or wrong rate of your weight loss. There are averages but like all averages (statistics) some will lose more than the average others less. And some will lose at a faster rate & others will lose at a slower rate. Averages only give you an idea of what might happen not what will happen. And all of this is okay. Remember it’s not a race. There are some things you can pretty much rely on. If you weigh more at the beginning you tend to lose larger amounts at first (like you see on My 600lb Life). Your weight loss is always more in the beginning. Everyone’s rate of loss slows. If you follow your plan, you will lose at the rate that is right & best for you. Nothing wrong with 21lbs in 6 weeks. (I’d lost about 22lbs at 6 weeks.) That’s about 3lbs a week. Can’t complain about that. The only time you should be concerned is if your surgeon or team is. Celebrate every pound you lose.

Everyone having surgery this week, prayers, blessings, and positive thoughts Every journey is a series of little steps and persistence. We can do this successfully!

Just checking in a week post-op VSG. I’m doing really well, meeting protein and water goals. I can take about 3 swallows of water at a time, which works out to about 3 oz. Then I gotta allow 10 min or so before I put anything else down the chute. At first I couldn’t even get 3 oz of my protein shakes down at a time, but now I’m getting half shakes down 4 times a day. I also had some Greek yogurt tonight. I absolutely hated Greek yogurt before surgery, but was so good and felt good in my stomach too. I also now like unsweetened tea and I used to be 100% sweet tea girl. It’s absolutely crazy how your body changes. Good luck to everyone with surgeries coming up this week. Thoughts and prayers are with you all. The pain doesn’t last forever, and things will get better quickly. Soon, we’ll all be looking back and celebrating our success and seeing these moments of struggle as just stumbling blocks on our journey! Oh, and 22 pounds down from start of pre-op as of this morning!! 🎉🎉 Much love to all! 💕

1 May - LindsayT, SleeveMeAlone23 2 May - lunababe75, k.e.white, Morenalove 3 May - matt917, LittleRouxenyhood, skeefe 4 May - Laryssa, ajrp001, Judoway 5 May - Sheri, slares2005 9 May - travelgal, Ana83, flasandollar, theProcess, SNEESE, rolawre 10 May - CarolineLittle, Jason Jacobson, IAMPERFECTION2, baribabe89 11 May - ElizabethMW, Rhys, la.nena, rosemaryandcedar 12 May - Kimmie77#thinagain, LisaRT. mar19661 15 May - Gabbie-1 16 May - turkaffe, mmrondot 17 May - Teamme2023_, Su Zy, SleevedGyal601 18 May - Caitotornado 20 May - Srxpadillaa, Vacs77 22 May - AmandaD 24 May - Shemleylodge, Cindyptaylor 25 May - uniVee, Svet 29 May - DreaM209 30 May - LuluGirl70

Usually after your two week liquid. But it really comes down to the advisement of your team.

I got my sleeve done exactly two months ago, with a two week pre-op diet. I've lost 40 pounds, but it feels like it should be more. The last few weeks I've been fighting a stall where I'm not seeing much of a change on the scale. My energy is high, I tolerate almost all foods, and I get 8-10 cups of water a day. Lately I've been going over my protein goals, so I'm trying to get more fruits and veggies in to keep my calories lower. I walk 5 days a week for 30 minutes, resistance train 2 days a week, and I've been trying to get extra exercise through stretching or swimming on the weekend. I'm concerned I'm not strength training well enough because I'm never really sore. 😔 But I keep telling myself any movement that gets my heart rate up is good movement. I'm trying not to obsess over the scale (I weigh once a week). I've been getting a lot of positive comments from people I know that they can see a difference. I just can't see it myself. 💔

Not bad at all for me. Little sore. Doing my walk and on purée diet for 2 weeks. Taking small bites and sips. That’s helping a lot. Feeling hungry. Just started protein shake. Will see how I tolerate that 😀

1 May - LindsayT, SleeveMeAlone23 2 May - lunababe75, k.e.white, Morenalove 3 May - matt917, LittleRouxenyhood, skeefe 4 May - Laryssa, ajrp001, Judoway 5 May - Sheri, slares2005 9 May - travelgal, Ana83, flasandollar, theProcess, SNEESE, rolawre 10 May - CarolineLittle, Jason Jacobson, IAMPERFECTION2, baribabe89 11 May - ElizabethMW, Rhys, la.nena, rosemaryandcedar 12 May - Kimmie77#thinagain, LisaRT. mar19661 15 May - Gabbie-1 16 May - turkaffe, mmrondot 17 May - Teamme2023_, Su Zy, SleevedGyal601 18 May - Caitotornado 20 May - Srxpadillaa, Vacs77 22 May - AmandaD 24 May - Shemleylodge, Cindyptaylor 25 May - uniVee, Svet 29 May - DreaM209

Yeah, the staging guidelines are essentially arbitrary. My "patient's bible" says 10 days of full liquids, but the physician's assistant told me to advance to purees after my one-week appointment.