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I am still dealing with extensive fatigue. They increased my water intake to 100 oz a day to see if that helps. I used to drink abt 128-150 pre surgery and so maybe 64 oz wasn’t cutting it. I’ve tried it this week but it is not doing much. I’m hoping it helps soon bc I can’t keep up like this. my blood work came back- they ran it twice- all of my vitamin levels are optimal so they have no idea what is causing me to feel like this. I’m forcing myself to exercise - walking or peloton - stretching / yoga etc just to keep my body moving, but it is not helping the energy levels. what a rollercoaster! edit- to top it all, I’m in a stall also. Hovering around 190-193 lbs. Trying not to get discouraged and remind myself that this is a process, but man it’s been tough!

I need your bathroom stalls....... you look amazing. I'm longing for sweater weather............. mississippi is still 75 degrees daily.

Yay, glad that things are going well! I have not warmed up any of my premier drinks, I should try that! I have added it to decaf coffee as a creamer, but your idea sounds awesome. My taste buds keep changing per week it seems. This week I like sf raspberry lemonade for my cold drink and apple cinnamon tea as my hot. I've also tried a few fairlife protein shakes and I might be leaning towards liking them more than premier even though I love premier. Mostly its because its less thick and so far I haven't gotten the occasional chunk of protein in my drink. I've been in a stall now for almost 3 weeks so not fun at all. I saw my dr, dietitian and exercise specialist and they all said I have done everything right and hitting all protein and water goals so the only thing to do is to increase calories until the stall breaks. So they want me to get to 900 to 1000 a day, I was at around 750. Its so hard for my brain to wrap around that since my whole life I've been told that to lose weight you need to eat less and exercise more. I do understand the stall too and that my body is very good at protecting itself. So I'm going to listen to the experts and just be patient and I know it will pass. Just sad because I was already a slow loser and now I've lost only 4 pounds in almost a month. How is everyone else doing?

Sorry ahead of time, this is going to be a long post! Let's talk a bit about what causes stalls/plateaus: The most common reason for any stall (including the dreaded 3-week stall), is simply that you are retaining more water. There are a few reasons this happens, from hormonal shifts, tissue repair, illness, or changes due to glycogen vs. ketone metabolism. This post would be even longer if I spent too much time here, but suffice it to say that for many people (especially early in the process), they are just retaining water and not actually failing to lose fat. As you lose more weight, your overall metabolic rate will slow down. People sometimes think fat is not metabolically active, but that's not true. Losing fat means your metabolism slows down, even if you retain the same amount of muscle mass (which most people don't). This means that as you lose weight, it takes less effort to move or even just live, so the amount of calories you burn both during exercise and just living also drops quite a bit. On the intake side as you progress after bariatric surgery, you'll be able to eat more. This isn't a bad thing and is by design, but obviously you should be able to see the problem here. Your metabolism has slowed down and now you can eat more. This can lead to you basically eating as much as you're burning. When that happens, weight loss stops. Especially if you're not tracking intake closely by weighing and measuring your food, you can easily be eating a lot more than you think. Some studies have shown people underestimate caloric consumption by several hundred calories on average. This is more than enough to cause a stall. This one may be TMI for some, but you may simply be retaining more stool. Feeling constipated? That will definitely impact your weight. This is going to be hard for some people to hear, but I can tell you one thing it's not, and that's hormones. Yes, various hormonal processes negatively impact weight loss in a myriad of ways, but they don't overcome the basic fact that if you eat fewer calories than you are burning, you'll lose weight. What these hormones can do if they're out of whack, is bad things like slowing your metabolism even more, increasing your hunger, screwing with water weight, or even fooling you into thinking you're eating less than you are. So, that's all great, but what do we actually do if we're in a stall? Well, I think it depends on when it happens and how long it lasts: If it's early (a.k.a. the 3-week stall), just keep doing what you're doing and you should be fine. I know people don't like that advice, but as I said it's just water, so don't worry about it. Later on, especially if the stall is lasting longer than 2-3 weeks. that's when I think it's important that you look closely at what you are actually burning, as well as really tracking what you are eating. If you don't know your RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate), you should. The closer you are to goal, the harder it is to get the balance right between intake and output to make sure you're not eating too much, so fixing this starts with knowing your RMR and accurate food logging. There's a lot of anecdotal advice thrown around about "ways to break a stall", but there seems to be little scientific evidence for any of it. It certainly won't hurt to try things like breaking up your routine in terms of diet or exercise, but just understand that this change may or may not have any impact. If it makes you feel better to be proactive, go for it. Longer term, there is one piece of solid advice that's backed up by lots of research: Even if you don't really like working out, do it anyway. Those WLS patients that make a regular habit of exercising for 45 minutes to an hour most days a week are significantly more likely to reach their goal and maintain the weight loss. (One caveat here: significantly changing your exercise routine can make you retain water and possibly even add muscle, so don't freak out if you see a stall or even a gain.) I'll take that exercise advice one step further and say you really should be doing some form of strength training. This is also backed up by lots of studies, but the great thing about strength training is that it makes your burn more calories even at rest (in other words, it increases your metabolic rate). There are lots of other benefits, but the metabolic benefit is the most germaine to the stall question. Those that do strength training are less likely to stall during weight loss and are more likely to reach and then maintain their goal weight long term.

Same to you!!! I know! I've been so excited about it - didn't even mind the 2 week liquid too much - but now that it's here, I'm super nervous and questioning... I know it's just my brain playing mean tricks, but man I have the jitters this morning!

Do you track your food intake? I would say if not, start there. If you are eating 1200 calories a day, try to cut it to 1100 a day. Not a huge amount but maybe enough to give your body a push to burn it. My Dietician says a lot that sometimes people aren't eating enough which will make you stall or gain. He will have people up their calories for a few weeks and then cut them back down to trick the metabolism. I honestly don't know if any of it works but these are things he has suggested in our support group.

Change your diet or your exercise. But not both. If you did that you wouldn’t know which thing worked 🤣 I usually eat a few more carbs or walk a little farther that week to break a weight range.

I get so jealous of those that were able to have some food pre-op. My surgeon had me on a strict clear liquid diet with absolutely nothing to eat. I am so looking forward to day 1 of week 3 post-op where I can some dang mashed potatoes down the hatch

I’m at this exact weight and also at a stall

Thanks so much for letting me know now I don’t know if I should skip this week and ask my endocrinologist about it as well.

I asked a relative who is a surgeon (came over to visit). He says no testosterone 2 weeks before or 2 weeks after. It thickens blood and may risk blood clots. Good to ask your team instead though.

What’s the longest stall you’ve had? I’ve been between 224-228 for the last month…..I would really like to see 200…..so somebody please help me knock this last 24-28lbs. what do you do to break your stall? please and thank you!

This week has been a game changer! 😎 I am finally able to get my protein and food in without throwing up! I've also found a high-protein drink I can finally stand! It's a Vanilla Premier Protein (I got a big box of them from Costco) heated up in the microwave for 90 seconds, then I mix in 2 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder (just the chocolate, no sugar), and a shake of cayenne. It's delicious, warm for the colder season, and a very easy way to get in 32 g of protein, 10 g carbs. 😘 Hydration-wise, I have found that the mango peach Crystal Light is my favorite and is the easiest for me to drink water without getting sick of it. I hope you all are thriving! 😊

For what it's worth, I self administer testosterone IM every other week. My bariatric team had a blanket statement that patients should not get any shots 2 weeks before or after surgery. I assume this is due to the increased risk of blood clots. I specifically asked about the T shot and they told me it was fine to continue. I agree you should ask your team though, because every doctor is different. It would suck to be told you have to reschedule the surgery because of something dumb like this.

I had sleeve.. so far not more issues with reflux.. some minor experiences which I suppose is to be expected but still taking propantazole for another 2 weeks.. surgeon said he want concerned at this rage and will re assess is 3 months but to call him if I am concerned.. so glad you have been able to fix your reflux with the bypass!! I’m hoping I don’t get any more experience of it but I guess it’s a major change to my gastric function so to be expected at times.

My doctor never gave me goals or macros, beyond "eat protein first, stop when you aren't hungry anymore, don't eat on a schedule, eat only when hungry". That's been working well for me. I've lost 170lbs total, 120 of which is post surgery, and I'm still slowly losing. Most days I get 700-900 calories a day, though I don't track unless I hit a 3+ week stall. I'm not sure what to do when I get to maintenance but then again I'm not sure when I should stop losing anyway. I'm 5'7" at at 161lbs (large frame) and while I look fine in clothes, when I see myself naked with all the extra skin, I can't decide if I am still overweight, too skinny or what since I'm bony all over but also comically saggy and wrinkled. I don't like stressing out about it though so I'll just keep doing this until either my surgeon tells me to eat more or I get hungry enough to naturally go into maintenance I guess?

My date is also 12/21!!!! My pre-op diet starts on 11/27 (not looking forward to doing it for 3 weeks!!)

honestly, i just ate more. i was sub 800 calories when i reached goal (127 lbs at 7 months post op) i was also exercising like a fiend...but i was doing the same level if exercise during the last couple months of weight loss phase, so not sure how much of an effect this was on my appearance, all other things being equal. im 4 years post now and average about 1900-2000 cals a day, exercise levels now just a fraction of it once was, and weighed 119.4 this morning. and i look x times healthier than i did at 127 over three years ago. so go figure. 🤷🏻‍♀️ edited to add: full disclosure... i had plastics to address lose body skin at 14 months post op, so that def helped! i also am currently addicted to botox...but this addiction formed well after i had already joined the land of the living, looks wise. 😂 i mean, im 50 yrs old. my less than firm face is more likely due to to age than wls.

I am going to start Wegovy once insurance approves it. I am being monitored by a nurse practitioner through a medical weight loss program -- most of the people in the program are trying to lose weight to become eligible for bariatric surgery. But I am 8.5 years out and definitely struggling to reduce my caloric intake. I have been walking and doing vibration plate sessions multiple times a week. I have been trying to focus on eating high protein.

Does anyone have vitamin suggestions? I am 5 weeks out from surgery. I used bariatric fusion soft chews and the bar is so high now cause it is honestly like candy. I thought of subscribing to it and getting 4 packs at a time but it isn't the best pricing, although if needed I will do it for sure. I initially got them for the first month so I wasn't dealing with massive tablets right away. This week I implemented tablets again and OMG I regret it immediately. I had the WORST nausea since getting this procedure. I was so close to vomiting, my heart was accelerating, and I was shaking. I took it with yogurt in the morning. I haven't had anything happen to me when it comes to my stomach even the first few days after surgery. I am avoiding tablets and capsules for now. My doctor also told me to not use gummies due to the sugar. I am open to gummies if they are sugar free. I would like to eventually buy in bulk but wanted to explore my options before I commit to the soft chews. Does anyone also have suggestions for calcium citrate? Those tablets are even worse! I used caltrate chewables but was reminded it was the wrong one! Let me know what you think folks!

Yup and it was the first time I had the one that feels like they are sampling your brain. 😂 I had covid a couple of weeks prior and was told that even though I am better, I might still test positive, I was freaking out.

So excited to be reading how everyone is doing! So far I have lost a total of about 32 lbs since my pre-op diet and I am 5 weeks out! The weight loss is MUCH slower than I anticipated and mentally that has been easier on me. I thought I would drop 20lbs a week or something but I have been losing about 5-6 lbs a week. My doctor wants me to lose a pound a day and I get pretty close but not quite there, which seems to be ok as well. I started working out again but the last week and a half my energy has been LOW. I went on a work trip and when I came back it seems like I could not recover. I think I am just going through some serious fatigue right now. I think it could be that I may not be getting enough water. I try SO HARD. I have lost track of the amount daily but have started counting again. This work is so hard and I just want to get to a place that it doesn't take that much space in my mind!

Two weeks post op

Hi Everyone! I'm feeling motivated to give an update on my pregnancy. At 17 weeks, I have determined that my nausea and discomfort after eating sweet foods is in fact dumping and not morning sickness. I was confused by this because I had not attempted to eat sweet foods prior to my positive pregnancy test - which I was already 7/8 weeks before the morning sickness that I was experiencing at night (minus sweets) registered as possible pregnancy. My surgery was March 8, 2022 and my LMP was July 11, 2022. So far, I have gained 7 pounds and I feel good about this number but I would be lying to you if there wasn't a mental aspect to seeing the scale moving in the opposite direction that I have worked so hard to get down. I understand this is mostly just baby and all that being pregnant entails - but it's still a battle field. For my last pregnancy, which ended in loss at 26 weeks, I had gained approximately 40lbs by this stage. I am listening to my body and eating when I need to eat. I'm surprised at how easy it has become for me to hit my protein goals, I guess I have just found what works for me. The calorie goals follow naturally if I hit my protein goals. I still have to be careful to not over indulge in unhealthy options or give in to my cravings when they occur. I realize that if I just eat something (preferably within my macros) when I'm feeling that craving, it usually removes the hunger and the craving at the same time. I still have great restriction and I'm thankful for that - though my eyes and head often have me order way too much when eating out. I always have left overs that I don't always eat after taking it home. My pregnancy is moving along with no issues so far (knock wood). I have experienced some much loathed constipation and as a result have been incorporating Metamucil throughout the day and a meager portion of high fiber cereal each morning to counter act this. The doctor said Milk of Mag was too strong to take. I'm still on daily iron which hasn't helped this issue one bit, but I'm sure is helping baby.

I don't know of any plan that is going to allow whole fruit *one week after surgery*. I personally wasn't allowed to eat fruit for 3 months.