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Hello and welcome! Same here, I have lost 100+ lbs multiple times. 170lbs last time! and every single time said "I WILL NEVER GAIN IT BACK" yet, every time I did and more. ( I even had skin removal after my 170lb loss and still gained it back) I keep talking myself out of WLS because "I know how to loose weight, I have done it many times". Which, is in fact TRUE, VERY TRUE! I do know how to loose weight, but I do not know how to maintain it! Ever... at all! This is what pushed me to have WLS. I hope this is the help I need to maintain. I am scared to death to get to that stage because of my massive failure history but I am focused and have an entire team on my side! This (and other forums) can be very helpful and inspiring. I read for months while I went through the pre-surgery process. I wanted to know everything, the good, bad and ugly. And, oh boy did I. Read everything, google everything ask all the questions. You will then be as prepared as possible. I wish you the best on your journey!

The weight loss your surgeon gives you are based on state and/or country wide AVERAGES. So, it is exactly that and average. Some less, some more. Not one person is the same with anything let alone weight loss. You have had HUGE success, loosing 120 lbs in a year is astronomical! Good for you, be proud of that. The closer you get to goal weight, the slower the weigh drops because you have less of a calorie deficit. If you want to keep loosing, keep pushing. Track all of your foods and if possible, cut a few ore calories. Get those fluids! Regardless of WLS they are SO important to overall well being. I have always been a huge water drinker, so I have been exceeding my fluids goals since about 2 weeks after surgery and never have an issue. But, seriously I drink all day long. I still wait 30 before and after meals but I only eat 3 times a day so that is easier than when eating 5 meals a day. Find a schedule that works for you and run with it. I have the same routine all week at work, and then a slightly modified weekend routine. Best of luck to you, keep swimming!

So sorry you are feeling this way @miamiman86 and I’m really glad you are seeking help. You actually raised some important points about weight loss surgery. It is not the easy way. It’s hard. Harder than just going on a diet or exercising. It will get easier but I know I will always have to watch what I eat & why I’m eating. The surgery removed part of my tummy but not the part of my brain that was behind my eating. That’s always with me. The decision to have the surgery has to be yours & yours alone. You alone are the one who has to do the work & live the experience. Your wife may have thought it would help you (& there are many health benefits) but if you’re not ready or unsure about having the surgery don’t have it. You need a lot of mental & emotional strength & if your head & heart aren’t ready & willing the surgery isn’t for you (at least not until you are ready). I’m glad you are doing well so far despite your regret. I will add, in time you will enjoy food as much as you did before. These early days are restrictive but it does change & improve. How you manage your maintenance, when you get where you want to be, is really up to you. You make the choices that allow you to live & enjoy your life & maintain your health & mental, physical & emotional well being. In time you may choose to eat differently. For example you may still eat old favourite foods but swap out ingredients or use different different cooking methods that offer better nutrition. You may choose to still enjoy certain ‘less healthy’ foods but you eat them less frequently in smaller portions. All the best.

Congratulations on your weight loss so far. You may not be at your goal but what you have done is a great achievement. The truth is not everyone reaches their goal. This may be the weight your body is happiest at - your new set point. Or your rate of loss could have just slowed right down. Ensuring you get in all your protein, water & other nutrients is vital & not doing so maybe compromising your loss. You just have to establish those better habits around eating & drinking to meet your goals. If you eat your protein first you should meet your goal without too much difficulty. Protein first, then vegetables & then only carbs if you are able. Sometimes all I’d eat was the protein component. Still do sometimes. And make any snacks you eat protein rich too. Keep fluids by your side all the time. I drink during the night, in the car as I’m driving, etc. I have habits like get in the car drink. Get out of the car drink. Red light drink. You can do this if you use public transport too. Remember all fluids count not just water. This far along you probably don’t need to be waiting 30 minutes between eating & drinking. Reduce the time you wait to a time frame you feel comfortable with & doesn’t compromise being able to consume the food you need. In my second year I only needed to wait about 10/15 minutes. Now I wait about 5 but can only take one large mouthful at a time - 2 swallows - any more is uncomfortable.

Perfectly natural side effect which most of us experience. Your natural hair loss cycle has been accelerated so the hair you’re losing you were going to lose anyway. It’s just happening more quickly than it usually does. The stress of reduced calories, the surgery & restricted diet, the hormonal flush & changes all contribute to the acceleration. Remember your body has more important things to use the food & nourishment you’re consuming for than protecting your hair at the moment. It usually only lasts about 3 months +/-. Don’t worry, your new hair is still regrowing but at its usual rate. Any vitamins, supplements you take to try to stop your hair falling may only benefit your new growth. The hair on your head is actually dead. Can’t save that. I know it can be frustrating & upsetting but the best thing you can do is just let it do what it’s doing. You don’t need the added stress of worrying about it. Some temporary hair loss is really unimportant compared to the weight loss & improvements to your health & welll being. PS - Many of us cut our hair if it was long so it doesn’t look as noticeable & it takes less time for the new growth to catch up & be the same length. You can always grow it again if you want.

Welcome! I think many of us have had similar experiences with yo-yo dieting. As I tell people, losing weight is not a problem. By now I'm an expert, considering I've lost the same pounds many many times now. 😁 What I suck it is maintaining! This is one of the key reasons I finally decided on WLS. FYI, there's a wealth of knowledge here on the site in terms of what to expect as you progress through the stages and on past surgery. If you run into anything that you don't see answered, feel free to ask. There's likely someone that can help. That said, one of my biggest pieces of advice would be that it's always best to ask medical questions of your medical team, not the folks here.

I do regret it. I’m 36 years old, 5’7’, and before surgery I was weighing 248 lbs. I actually was unhappy with my weight, specially with my belly, because I couldn’t wear t shirts without seeing my belly pop out and the rest of the body out of proportion. But my wife thought losing weight would help, and since she had friends that already done this, she said would be the fastest and easiest way to get it done. I wanted to see a nutritionist or get more activity in, but I also let laziness get the best way of me. It’s really my fault and not hers because I should’ve put my foot down. We went to Ecuador to get the procedure done, since they don’t require for you to be over 300 lbs to get the surgery, as long as you have the money, which I did. Even when I went into the ER, I wanted to get up the bed and run back out but I couldn’t because I felt I was going to disappoint my wife. Now I feel a bit like a chump, but I ended disappointing me. After the surgery, is when I realized these doctors down there are only doing it for the money. At least three patients I saw where 40 pounds lighter than me and got the surgery done. That’s just criminal to me, but it’s their money. Right now, it’s been about a month since the surgery was done (gastric sleeve). I’ve lost 35 pounds and moved on to the semi solid food. I’m actually doing great progress, not rejecting any food, haven’t thrown up at all and I can even hold a bit better than the diet says… but I’m even unhappier than before. I felt up to the moment of the surgery than I didn’t needed to do it, I could’ve dieted and do exercise but no, went the “easy” route which is not really easy. Since the surgery and coming back home, I’ve gone out 3 times, with all times just being mentally fucked and coming back home before time to just get drained emotionally in my bed. My wife says nothing, maybe because she understand what I’m going through. I loved eating. I loved tasting. I know I will be back to that soon, but I don’t know if it will be the same. It would kill me inside. I’m posting this because I know everyone here (majority) is happy they got the procedure done, but I didn’t needed it. And now that I regret, I dread everything that it will bring. My advice to you is: don’t think once, don’t think twice… really think you want to do this, and if you’re not too overweight, do not do it. Look for alternative ways before you resort to get this procedure. If you really need it, by all means, but think it over very well. I’m actually looking for professional help right now, and got an appointment set, because I’ve had some dark thoughts and I know if I don’t take care of my mental health, I won’t be here in 3 more months. I wanted to vent and let everyone know that this is not for everybody. I do hope not get to the day I don’t regret this, but today it isn’t that day. Thank you.

I have been feeling very tired the last few days also. My surgery was September 19 and am on week 2 of liquid diet. I have stopped loosing weight for about 10 days now and will have my first appointment with my team on Wednesday. I know the process is long term and can take time. My concern is I'm eating late as I tend to sleep in . And start my day later on. 11am most days. I use to be up at 7 am before surgery. Going to bed 12-2 am. And napping 2 or 3 times a day for 20 min to 1.5 hours. I feel disconnected from routine. I have tried to go to bed earlier but lie there for hours on end and eventually get up. Just feeling frustrated right now. Thank you for any ideas or recommendations.

Hello congratulations on weight loss. How many days out were you till swollen and bloated abdomen went down?

I consider my decision to do the surgery to be my best decision in the last 20 years or so haha. I've talked to several friends who struggle with their weight about considering it as well.

I have been diagnosed with Candy Cane Syndrome. This is so miserable and the past 5 years of constant nausea, throwing up and not being able to lose weight has been so unbelievably difficult and hard to understand how i couldn’t be a bean pole since i can barely eat. Well, in doing research that is one of the factors that is a bad side affect of the syndrome, “no weight loss.” I had the Roux-n-y five (5) years ago. In this time the pandemic hit, my Bariatric surgeon was killed, i was hit with covid 2 times and long-haul covid. Plus, broken wrist, and other medical emergencies. I wrote this because some may wonder why or how i went 5 years so nauseated all the time and throwing up. Well, i have Lupus plus other severe autoimmune diseases. I did go to my bariatric office and was brushed off. My Mom found me a second opinion Bariatric doctor and guess what?? Yep, Candy Cane Syndrome. So, my EKG and blood work will be Wednesday then all the paperwork will be sent to Insurance for approval. I had my husband go with me to my new bariatric doctor because my husband is my advocate. He knows i do not over-eat. Everything i try to eat makes me sick. Sometimes we have to be our biggest advocates for our health. I knew something was wrong. I just couldn’t get the former Bariatric office to take the extra step to care. And unfortunately my caring surgeon had died. I’m praying the Candy Cane surgery will fix my constant nausea, and my weightloss will start again

Congratulations. I can see you have reached your goal weight.

you should update your weight on your profile. But you slow down a lot in loosing weight the farther you get out and eventually it will stop to a point. Not everyone will hit their goal but keep trying. But loosing already over 100lb is great. and me i am so bad at hitting my water goals. I drink about half of what i should and i try just not easy.

hi everyone!! I am coming up to my 1 year post op, but i haven’t lost all the weight my dr said i should’ve lost. i’m starting to get worried. is this normal? i have about 50lbs more to lose (i’ve lost 120 already) yet im stuck at 195, and im working out, eating fairly healthy, but i do tend to lack on protein. is this something someone else struggled with??

you had your surgery the day after me. Last 4 weeks i only lost i think 4lb. weight loss slows down as you progress further out. What does your day typically consist of of what you eat?

So its been six weeks of this stall. I have spoken to the nutritionist who gave me some suggestions, mainly switching up what I eat (done that) and exercising more (done that). I'm out of ideas. Does anyone have any suggestions of some things I could try? Thanks

I am just starting out on my journey here, I thought when I lost 100 lbs in 2019 I would never be this heavy again. Unfortunately that is not the case and I am the heaviest I have ever been. In 2019 I was diagnosed with POTS and EDS which honestly explains many of the issues I have had since I was a child. My primary referred me to see bariatrics and now I am here. I have had my initial consult which was quite interesting and daunting as with a complex medical history there are additional steps. I have my first “medically supervised weight loss appt” coming up this week (way better than waiting til Jan.) I am here looking for friends, good vibes and advice all welcome.

I don't formally exercise. I never did. I am not a gym person. I feel too guilty if I fall off program. So I just make extra efforts to walking back and forth around the house/work. About 6K steps a day (fitbit watch tracks it for me). I use ankle weights and wrist weights quite a bit for daily activities. I keep 5 lb dumbbells on the couch next to me and when watching tv, I will do arm, chest and shoulder exercises. I like to stretch a lot to stay limber. That's the extent of it. I mainly do it for health not for weight loss.

Even before WLS I was always cold thanks to hypothyroidism. I’m even colder now since losing weight. I wear a long sleeve shirt under my uniforms and a jacket to work most of the time and bundle up at home. I already miss summer. 😩

I remember that horrid taste. I just couldn't clean my teeth enough in a day. The taste in my mouth really gave me an aversion to eating some foods. When I could eat a better range of foods it got better. Are you on nausea meds? they really make my life better. I take them twice a day. I was miserable till I got the dose right. I also had to drop the iron from my multivitamin to stop nausea If you are struggling to eat, go back to your team and ask if you can maybe have 5 or 6 tiny meals instead or 3 bigger ones. You will be loads better real soon. People who say this is an easy option to weight loss just do not have a clue how hard we work to get healthy

I had considered wls for about 20 years, but when in was a new RN in the late 90s, it had a pretty high mortality rate. I didn't have any comorbidities then, at 207 pounds, so it just wasn't for me. Fast forward 20 something years later and I was 393 pounds with a bmi of 69.9 (I'm 5'3") and had also recently developed high BP. I had also been diagnosed with severe asthma that was hard to get under control, not to mention how uncomfortable I was and unable to do so many things because of my weight, although I did a surprising amount for someone as big as I was. Anyway, in January 2020 my liver enzymes were the highest they had been after being high for several years and I got an appt. With a liver specialist. Before that I had my gallbladder removed and mentioned that to the surgeon who said he'd biopsy my liver. At my follow up appt., he said my liver looked really bad and that he didn't think I'd make it to 60 years old if I didn't lose weight. I was 48 at the time. He recommended wls. And for the first time, I had a doctor speak to me with compassion, without blaming ME for my weight and he told me how much safee wls is these days and that it would reset my metabolism. It was because of him that I decided that day that I would do it and I ended up having my SADI-S in July of 2020. 200 pounds later I am feeling amazing and like I can do anything. My asthma is so much better that I don't need to see my pulmonologist anymore, I don't have high BP, no longer pre-diabetic, and my liver enzymes are normal. I could go on for days about all the benefits. It was by far the best thing I ever did! Sent from my Pixel 5a using BariatricPal mobile app

Thank you so much, this is exactly the advice I was looking for! Someone that’s gone through the feelings and had a solid suggestion. I will most definitely look into a therapist that specializes in Bariatric weight loss. Hopefully my insurance covers it! I’ll also try to up my calories. Part of my problem, aside from the guilt, is trying to fit all that food in while also getting my fluids in. It seems impossible. My plan says eat or drink every hour you’re awake. That seems like so much but I know they say this for a reason. I guess I just need to try harder to do this and remember that it’s the right thing instead of feeling shame for eating so often. Thank you again!

Ok, I can speak on this since I literally went through this exact thing. First of all, you are in a stall. The first one usually hits around 3 weeks, but it can be a little earlier (like it was for me) or a little later. Keep eating what's in the plan, no more and no less, and get your walking in (maybe look into getting some ankle and wrist weights). That leads me to my 2nd point. Look for non scale victories. Anytime I hit a stall, I started trying on clothes and rings and looking at my neck and face and chin. The scale may not be moving, but that doesn't mean things aren't happening. The first time I was able to sit in a booth and there was space between my stomach and the table, I was elated. When my clothes were literally falling off me and my ring came off twice, I was ecstatic. Just because the scale is being stubborn doesn't mean progress isn't being made. Third, you have to eat. This will sound crazy, but if you restrict too much, your body will think it's starving and it will hold on to every little bit of weight it can. My dietician wanted me to stay at 700-800 calories per day, 50 or less carbs, 50 or less fats, and 60-80g protein. My body didn't like that at all. Not one bit. I hit stall after stall, would drop maybe 1 or 2 pounds, then nothing. I started experimenting and found that between 1050 - 1200 calories per day, 25-35 carbs per day, 70-90 fats per day, and 90-95g protein per day was where my body was happiest. I work out for 45 min - 1 hour 5 days per week. And then I started seeing MUCH better results, both on and off the scale. Now, I'm not saying that works for everyone, and those amounts are specific to MY body, and my body alone. But at about 3 1/2 months post op, I knew I had to do something. You body NEEDS food. It's like depriving your car of gas and then being surprised it won't go. Same thing. Lastly, I was in such a disordered way of thinking and behaving that I HAD to go to therapy. I'm still in it, actually. I had myself working out 2 hours per day every single day, living on flavored water, 300-400 calories per day, 10-15 carbs per day, almost no fats at all, and 40 or so grams of protein. And the less weight I lost, the harder I pushed my body and restricted what I gave it. I was so afraid of eating because I was convinced every bite would put all the weight back on. I was, at one point, eating 1 meal per day that I would make stretch all day and loading up on flavored water to curb the hunger pains. It's scary to think about what I was doing to myself. Find a therapist that specializes in bariatric surgery, and if you can find one that also works with people with eating disorders, that's even better. That's what I did. I still struggle sometimes, but I remember how far I've come and how much healthier and stronger my body is, and it helps me push past the feelings of wanting to cut my food and load up on water again. But a therapist is really important right now. I waited until I was in the thick of it before I even posted about it here, and I was encouraged to find a therapist, which was the best thing I could have done. I swapped one disordered way of thinking for another. I'm making my way back from it, but I'm still a work in progress. You can do this. I wish you all the luck

We will - eventually - be able to eat just as much as we could eat before surgery, if we don't watch ourselves. This is why we're not supposed to eat until we're full. We're supposed to stop eating before we feel full, so we don't stretch our pouches. I think the recommendation is that we eat 8 ounces of food per meal - forever (once we can eat that much). That's why it's so important to get our eating habits under control while we have the restriction - because it won't always be there. At some point, we will be relying on our routines and habits, to keep us in check. And if we go back to eating the way we ate before surgery, then this will all be for naught and we'll regain all our weight.

People do loose muscle mass after surgery. Especially with the rapid weight loss. Do you exercise? That could help? Even just some mild resistance bands? Talk to your doctor? I am sure they can help!