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I just had my surgery Friday, and honestly I’m still working on getting in my fluids, and barely am hitting 40oz still… protein is no where near where it needs to be, but i can only focus on one goal at a time right now. Once I can hit fluid goal, i will worry about proteins. I couldn’t even keep my antibiotics down the first three days, so i will pick my battles at this point.

I echo those above. I have eaten virtually no pasta or potatoes in the last 15 months. I can just about tolerate bread, so have been able to eat it in situations where there isn't anything more suitable, but it lies in my stomach like a lump of lead afterwards. Rice is the same - I can have two or three small pieces of sushi and then my stomach says 'no more'. It's really weird but helpful weird, IYKWIM!

yep. It's the infamous "three week stall". Most of us experience it. Just stick to your food plan and stay off the scale for a few days. It'll eventually break and you'll be on your way again. Stalls usually last 1-3 weeks.

There is a three week stall that everyone talks about. I’ve thought about this and another fact that the body “initially” heals in 3-4 weeks. It makes sense to me that the 3-4 week time is when the body is slowing the heal and trying to shift back to maintaining the rest of the body. Then, coming from a calorie deficit, it tries to add weight back on. I’d also say 500cals is too low, your body may be sensing starvation. Did you team recommend this low of a calorie count?

I totally agree with this. Don't stress too much about how much you have lost and if you look different or not. Focus your energy on healing and following the post-op diet. People lose weight differently. For me, I lost most of the weight on my thighs and lower body at first and for the first few months my face almost looked the same. 3 weeks is too early to see any noticeable changes to be honest and your body is still healing. That is also when most of us got the infamous three-weeks stall. At least that was the case for me. Good luck

I'm going to have an ESG on Wednesday, 3/15. I'm taking off three days but hope to be able to work from home the following week and then go on a business trip, two weeks after the surgery. Am I being unrealistic about my expectations to return to work and travel?

I had my surgery in June 2015, and people didn't start noticing until October 2015, so four months. But I weighed well over 300 lbs, so I'm not that surprised that it took that long. *I* could tell, but I'm sure I still looked really heavy to others....it was probably hard to see nuances until I'd dropped a lot of weight (well, it was hard for ME to see nuances sometimes as well). I just checked my spreadsheet - at four months out, I was down 52 lbs. So I had to lose over 50 lbs for people to start noticing. Arabesque is right - take photos of yourself - or have someone else take them - every month. I had my husband take them every month on my surgery date until I hit maintenance. Sometimes you can't tell from one month to the next that you're looking thinner, but if you compare current photos to the ones from three or four months prior - yep - you can definitely see the difference. just to add that I thought that was a pretty sh*tty thing that your dad said.

I am three weeks post Sleeve surgery. Today my father said to me, “when will I be able to tell a difference when I look at you?“ This comment stung because I have lost 40 pounds since beginning the process in November. However, I still have more than 100 to go. Despite losing the weight, none of my clothes, fit any differently, I have not gone down in size, and nobody has noticed the weight loss except for me. My question is, how far along after your surgery were you before people noticed you were losing weight?

Your weight loss is never a perfectly straight downward line. It zigs & zags girls up & down. Stalls, hormonal fluctuations, fluid retention, constipation, diarrhoea, etc. all affect our weight. Last month I was retaining so much fluid due to some very high humidity I couldn’t put my rings on. Took three days to pee it all out & get back to my usual weight range. We all have a natural fluctuation too. I mean we don’t eat the exact same thing, pee & poop the same volume & do the exact same activity every day. Stick to your plan & you’ll be fine.

I’m on day 4 after surgery last Wednesday. Here are my thoughts based on what I just experienced. On day of surgery, when you wake up, don’t panic. This day and the next day before going home you will feel like total crap. Don’t panic! It gets better quick. You will have pain, pressure, poking nurses, doctors stopping in, house cleaning coming in, sheesh…too much. Don’t panic! Lol Your first full day home will be very uncomfortable. You will be recovering from surgery, working on almost no sleep, and trying to understand your new plumbing. I had anxiety from the anesthesia, was wicked tired, and cranky. Don’t panic! Don’t worry about hitting goals on these first two days, people rarely do. Take meds on time, create a schedule. I was on oxy and nausea meds for two days. By day three only Tylenol. See if you prefer hot or cold liquids. I found warm better. You will feel like an elephant is sitting on your chest…pressure from the gas. Don’t panic, it’s normal and will go away. Even being prepared on this and reading for 5 months, it was bad. Every swallow hurt a bit (pressure flare) but it eases slowly. By day 4 I feel great, almost normal even. Isn’t the human body amazing? Full liquids, full protein, no meds. Remember don’t panic! There were times I wanted too!! (alright, I did a little, most do) Good luck, you got this!”

I'm sending lots of love and prayers for you. I too sometimes think that I feel regret. I was sleeved on 1/26/23 and had many complications. I think back to why I got the procedure to help me see things differently. I focus on the goal and what it could be and not what it currently is. I'm happy that you are able to eat and drink. Even though it may take you some time. I'm still on the liquid diet phase one as I can't keep anything down. I have had 2 more upper gis and 1 endoscopy since my procedure to see what is causing my many issues. So far it seems that my sleeve is too narrow so they dilated it a few. As well as my surgeon said my stomach twisted after my sleeve procedure. Which is very rare but it happens. So I'm still in the midst of figuring out how or why or if things will subside. I do hope to be able to puréed something in the near future. I say this to say that no matter how hard we think we may have it there is someone out there who have it two or three times as bad. With all of this I also have gerd and broke out really bad on my face and chest. The fee sips of water that i'm able to tolerate Im thankful for. I try to remain positive because I don't know what the future hold. I just know that I want to be safe and healthy and of course happy. Hang in there as many have told me. I believe this too shall pass. I hope and pray for you that things ease up for you. It can definitely be hard and challenging with all the obstacles and with every one being different. You got this and I'm here for you. Please don't hesitate to reach out. xo

Omgosh, on day 13 your surgery got post poned?? That must’ve been frustrating! I’m really happy you were able to have the surgery eventually. Do you remember what you had for your liquid diet? Was it all protein shakes or other? I’m thinking I may move to liquids the last three days. Just wanted to see what helped you 😊

liveaboard15 is correct. Most of us experience the "three week stall". Also, those weight fluctuations are just fluctuating water levels. With as little as you're probably eating, there's no way that's a true gain. It's just fluid levels.

Most of the people I'm working with now have not seen me at my heaviest. Only two of three of them. The problem is when staff from HQ come for the monthly meetings / site visits. I try to keep a low profile during those day but still will get noticed lol.

Based on comments on this board (and my own experience), a stall at about three months is quite common. As long as you continue to lose some weight every month, you are on track. Not everyone loses at the same pace but we eventually all get there as long you we stay on the program, as Catwoman said above. If you had lost six pounds in one month prior to surgery, you would have considered it a major success!

My surgeon in Las Vegas repaired a small HH during my sleeve surgery. I didn't know I had the HH but am glad he saw it and took the initative to repair. I had my surgery through the Surgical Weight Control Center, the surgeon was Dr. Marc Leduc and he is absolutely wonderful, very knowledgeable and professional, great bedside manner. I had my three month check up yesterday and am down 54 LBS. I have gratefully not had any complications and did not even have to take one pain med after the surgery. Highly recommend SWCC and Dr. Leduc.

With WLS being around since a whole while now and more and more people getting it I'd guess people asking questions will suspect WLS anyway. It's not a niche procedure anymore. Most people know that these procedures exist. A former colleague from another department lost a ton of weight after having been absent for maybe two or three weeks. People are suspecting WLS, even though they've not asked her directly. People are no fools. Most of them won't believe that story about "lifestyle changes" and "healthy diet and exercise" while conveniently not mentioning the surgery anyway. The easiest way is to say "I had surgery". People who're interested in the whole thing might want to know what kind of surgery it was but usually that's the end of it.

I had a period of time I was ‘doughy’ in the head. Poor concentration, etc. I put it down to the surgery (anaesthetic can do odd things), reduced calorie intake, low energy & tiredness & low blood pressure (was pretty woopsy woo at times). It improved over a month or so. Oh, & are you on any anti nausea meds? They can often make you forgetful … well they do me. I suffer from vertigo & had a bad bout so was taking stemitol frequently for two days. Returned to work & a man started chatting to me in the lift. I had to ask him who he was & it turned out we’d had a two hour meeting only three days before & there was only three of us in the meeting. 😱 Felt so terrible.

My sister who had her surgery before me also used a similar "cover up" story for her WLS. She has a hernia also. We had our surgeries with the same doctor within three weeks and started losing weight around the same time. Luckily we don't live in the same country otherwise our extended family members would have noticed lol. "working with a nutritionist and working out" is exactly what are you doing now, so stick to that. You won't be misleading people by telling them this. It worked for some people without the WLS (not for me tho). Good luck

I'm in the same boat as you. I hit my three weeks and I gained three lbs. I keep reading and hearing everyone saying it takes time but I still feel frustrated af and like I am regretting the procedure. It feels so unfair to feel like I am going through so much and not losing anymore. A spoonful too much of soup makes me vomit but I am still stalled. The big goal I wanted to hit was to get under 200 even if it was just 199 and as usual as I got close to the goal my body is fighting it and I feel doomed to be big forever. I know that is not a great mentality and I constantly try to fight back on those thoughts but some days (more lately) I can't help but just to sulk and cry about it. If you are like me I don't think there is anything anyone can tell us to make us feel better until we can see tangible results. So here is what I can offer you. You are not alone in this feeling or regret and despite all the success posts you see or it feeling like all these people are losing but not you just know that there are probably just as many that are not losing right now and feels just like us. It's just so much easier to post success than perceived failure. Hang in there. Try to focus on non scale victories and celebrate that you are ultimately make changes to be healthier. Also just feel those feelings it's okay and they are valid. It's frustrating to not see the results you wanted and it's okay to be frustrated as long as you keep pushing forward. Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

My father took that, as zyloprim, every day but never had to take NSAIDS as well. Once on Zyloprim he rarely if ever had an attack. But definitely speak to your surgeon & prescribing doctor. I think it was in my second year my surgeon said I could take a NSAIDS very occasionally as a low dose. One tablet not two. Not on subsequent days & not regularly. Rarely take one but did take one tablet a night immediately after dinner for three nights in a row when I had COVID.

The long term success of either surgery depends upon you. Many of the initial benefits of bariatric surgery fade over time. Your hunger comes back, your restriction can soften, it is possible to eat around your smaller tummy & your body’s new set point, etc. What the surgery does do is give you time. Time to make changes to your relationship with food: the why you eat, what you eat, when you eat, how you eat. Time to understand your cravings & develop strategies to better manage them. Time to establish new habits about eating & exercise. Time to work out how you want to eat in the future & what works for you & your body. Regain occurs for many reasons: psychological, physiological, behavioural. Bounce back regain (usually 20%+/- of the weight lost) around the third year is common. It can be because your body settles into the weight it is happiest at (your set point). Medication changes. The crap life can throw at you (employment, relationships, health, pandemics). Complacency. A too restrictive way of eating or too demanding exercise regime. Not dealing with your relationship with food. And for some it can be a deliberate choice as they themselves feel happier at a higher weight or they make adjustments to their food choices to better suit their life. Not failure of the surgery but the impact of outside factors. The average weight loss for both sleeve or bypass at the three year mark is about 65% of the weight to be lost. Of course as with all statistics there are some who lose more & some who lose less. If you are considering revision surgery of sleeve to bypass as a sign of the failure of the sleeve, remember many who have revision surgery do so because they developed GERD not necessarily weight gain. I have a sleeve & lost more than my goal and have pretty much maintained though at only almost 4 years post surgery I’m still somewhat of a bariatric baby. I settled at 49kg (48.5-49.5). I unexpectedly gained about 2kgs about 18months ago (50.5-51) but recently we discovered I wasn’t absorbing my HRT meds. Changed to a patch & my weight is slowly decreasing (49.2-50). Small numbers I know. Has it been difficult? No, not really. It was very obvious what I had been doing wasn’t working for me & I needed to make changes. I put myself & my health first. I changed my relationship with food. Made a decision to change what, when & how I ate. It became a new mindset. The changes have been sustainable & haven’t restricted my life. I still enjoy food & eating but my desire is for healthier, more nutritious foods. And no I’m not running marathons or spending hours in the gym just some at home stretching & resistance bands. Sorry long post.

I’ve found setting a routine of when I eat very helpful. Started doing it because I had no appetite or interest in eating but knew I had to eat something. I still eat to a routine almost 4 years later. I’ve never set a timer not even to remind me to sip fluids. I just eat to the time on the clock. I can eat earlier or later than those set times or miss a meal/snack (conflicting appointments, commitments, travelling, not hungry, etc.) but I don’t eat additional snacks/meals between those times. Honestly, I really only ate two ‘meals’ a day those first two weeks. Sipped those shakes & soups for ages as I diluted them for extra fluid & so they’d taste a little better (they didn’t). Started my breakfast shake at around 8am & my dinner soup around 5pm if I remember correctly. On purées I began three meals a day & I added a mid afternoon snack I think from solid foods to ensure I was better meeting goals. My surgeon & dietician were okay with this as I was slowly increasing my intake every week.

Surgery 2/10. First 24 hours was pretty rough with the gas but lots of laps in the hospital helped. During the two week postop diet, I was struggling with fluids and protein because I was just so over it. I’m not stressing about it. I just do what I can. I’m now 16 days postop and it’s easier to get my fluids in but I’m still so sick of protein shakes. I found Oikos Greek yogurt with 15 grams of protein. The vanilla flavor is amazing…. Yum! I’m on puréed diet for the past three days, threw up twice just eating too fast because I was starving. But now I have adjusted to eating more slowly so I don’t throw up. The only issue I have is the bariatric vitamins. I’ve been taking the chewable ones and they are absolutely awful and they make me vomit. I’ve taken them on a full stomach too, and they still make me sick. I’m trying to find a good vitamin to take that doesn’t upset my stomach. I just ordered the Barimelts which I know are not recommended by my doctor, but they are known to be gentler on the stomach, so something is better than nothing. I have the calcium chews and those are fine. Does anyone have a good vitamin that they like it doesn’t make them sick? Also, I’m down 18 pounds and I’m fine with that as I am a lower BMI.

I'm not sure motivation is what you need. I think you need better habits. As you said, old habits die hard. You're just not going to wake up one day and suddenly start following your plan, track your intake religiously, exercise regularly, etc. Instead, you have to pick one teeny, tiny change to make at a time. Pick something that seems almost insignificant, and do JUST that one thing for 2-3 weeks until it becomes the new normal for you. Once that becomes habit, then pick another small change to make, and do that one for several weeks until it's automatic as well. Keep building new habits until the old bad habits have been replaced by the new healthy habits you actually want. As an example, maybe you've found yourself having a glass of wine every evening. Instead of trying to quit cold turkey, try drinking three ounces instead of four. Or if it was two glasses a night, maybe a few days a week, you only have one glass. After a few weeks of that, maybe you skip it entirely one day a week. You get the idea. The changes need to be so small you don't really notice the change. Another strategy that can really help is to play mind tricks with yourself. Maybe you really LOVE chocolate. Convince yourself that you hate the taste of chocolate. Go ahead and eat it, but the entire time, think of all the sensations about it that you don't like, such as the weird melting sensation, the earthy flavor, etc. You may find after a while of doing this that you really don't crave chocolate much anymore. The mind games don't even have to make much sense, what's important is that you actually start to believe it over time.