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Research does support the idea that BMR will be lower in a formerly obese person vs. someone of the same body composition that was never obese, but the magnitude of the effect was only 3-5%. I'm not discounting the 300-400 calorie number entirely, I'm just saying that if it's accurate, only maybe 50-70 calories of that is coming from BMR. The rest is coming from something else like activity level. Keep in mind that the most common way to quantify total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), is with a 4 component model: Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). This is sometimes listed as Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR), although that is slightly different. Either way, this is a way of quantifying how much energy your body burns just to keep you alive. Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (EAT). This is calories burned in intentional exercise, such as running, cycling, etc. Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT). This is all the other activity you do aside from intentional exercise. You can think of this as things like cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc. Some people refer to this type of thing as "activities of daily living", although other things also fall into the NEAT bucket like fidgeting, how much you stand vs. sit, etc. Thermic Effect of Food (TEF). Note there is no such thing as a negative calorie food. That said, it does take some calories to digest the food we eat. On average, it's about 10% (so if you eat 1500 calories, it takes 150 calories to digest that). Note that protein tends to be a higher percentage, yet another reason to eat more protein. While it's potentially possible that formerly obese people are somehow more efficient at digestion (meaning some of the effect could come from here), this could only account for a very small difference since TEF is just a small percent of your overall calorie burn to start with. The reason I wanted to list all that is if BMR of formerly obese people is only downregulated 3-5%, then any potential 300-400 kcal/day difference would have to come from somewhere else like NEAT. Since NEAT is known to be lower in obese people as well, it's likely the bulk of the difference here is simply coming from less daily movement (perhaps habit?). This also means it's likely highly variable. The good news to me is this should also mean it's changeable as well. Food for thought.

just a note on BMR - I've heard this from both a former dietitian of mine and from a nutrition class I took a couple of years ago at UW-Milwaukee on obesity and weight loss, so it's likely true (seems to be the case with me, anyway...). It's very common for formerly obese people to need to eat 300-400 calories less per day than a person of the same height/weight/activity level who's never been obese in order to maintain their weight. So in other words (and I'm just pulling this example out of the blue), if a calorie calculator tells you that it takes about 1800 cal/day to maintain your weight, if you were formerly obese, that could mean that for you, it's probably more like 1400-1500 calories to maintain. That being said, I do agree with some of the others that you may be underestimating your calorie intake since I would think you'd be losing weight at that intake level. It might be helpful to cut back by about 100 cal/day for a couple of weeks and see if the scale starts moving again. if not, cut another 100 calories for a couple of weeks. Rinse and repeat until the scale starts moving. I've had to do this a few times to get things moving..

I agree with @SpartanMaker eating more might sound crazy but it works! Resistance training has completely transformed my body. I started incorporating it around 4–5 months post-op, and the weight started dropping like crazy. My body looked significantly better compared to when I was just doing cardio. Around 6–7 months post-op, I added 30 minutes of running at least 5 days a week, and at that time, I was eating between 2,100–2,300 calories daily. Even with that intake, I was losing weight and had actually dropped below my goal weight. I had to take a break due to surgery, and during that time my weight fluctuated upward—which was really frustrating. Even though I cut my calories and kept my macros on point, the scale wasn’t moving the way I wanted it to. But now that I’m back to resistance training (I’m not cleared to run yet), my weight is slowly trending back down again. I say try it! If you would like some guidance I have a few circuits that I do and has worked really well! I am happy to share ❤️

Getting back to the OP's question about what do do: If they really feel they are accurately logging and are also having a hard time eating less, then the option would be to take steps to increase metabolism. Yes, GLP-1 drugs can do this, but there are other options. First, would be adding muscle mass from strength training. Estimates are that each pound of muscle increases calories burned per day by roughly 6 calories, Each pound of fat contributes ~2 calories burned per day. This latter fact surprises some people, but fat is metabolically active tissue. It's just that muscle is more metabolically active. If someone were to gain ten pounds of muscle and lose ten pounds of fat, that would lead to an increase in BMR of roughly 40 calories. That doesn't sound like much, but it adds up over time. If you also add in EPOC (Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption), from the strength training needed to add muscle mass, then I'd estimate this would over time lead to ~400-450 extra calories burned in a week. That would lead to a loss of ~6 pounds in a year even while eating the exact same amount of food. If this is not a sufficient amount, then one can always reduce calories a bit as well. Alternately (I know this will sound counter-intuitive), but the OP might well want to consider UPPING their calories a bit for a while. Our bodies were designed to upregulate our metabolisms slightly when calories are available and downregulate it when calories are scarce. This means our bodies can maintain weight at a wide range of calorie intake. If we're constantly in a calorie restrictive diet, our bodies do downregulate metabolism to keep us from what it perceives as starving to death. What I'd recommend instead is going up 200-300 calories per day for about a month. After this "diet reset", drop down again to 1200-1400 for no longer than 2 months before cycling back up again. You can keep this cycle going on indefinitely. One of 2 things will happen here. Most likely the OP won't gain anything during the increased calorie intake diet reset because their metabolism will increase to compensate. However, when they start back at the ~1300 calorie range, their metabolism may not drop immediately, meaning they'll lose a little bit in the following 2 months. If they do find that they gained during the diet reset, but fail to lose when back in the diet phase, then worst case it shouldn't be more than about 2 pounds (less than 1% of body weight). This isn't likely, but even if this does happen, it will at least tell us that 1300 won't work for weight loss for them and they'll need to go lower. I'd also be remiss if I didn't come back to exercise here. I mentioned that low levels of exercise (30 minutes of cardio), really are not going to do anything toward weight loss. It's obviously going to be different for everybody, but current research seems to suggest that the tipping point is about 400 calories per day. What I mean by that is if you can burn OVER 400 calories in exercise in a day, the body can't suppress your metabolism enough in other ways to keep you from going net-negative for the day. Said differently, you'd need to do something that burns more than 400 calories before it "counts" for weight loss and the only part that counts is the part above 400 calories. Unfortunately, 400 calories is A LOT for most people. The good news is the heavier you are the more you burn, but even at 215 pounds, you'd probably have to run over 3 miles to hit 400 calories. Keep in mind, this would just be to break even, so if you're actually trying to burn more calories this way, it will take even more. I'll use myself as an example here. I'm not trying to lose weight right now, but I have found that if I run over roughly 28 miles in a week, I tend to lose weight. If I run less miles, I maintain. Do the math, and for me that's right at about the 400 calories a day mark. In my use case of one, I'm pretty close to the statistical average as shown in the research. Best of luck whatever you decide.

Exactly on point and why it was a fit for me as I was in full menopause with my hormone changes basically stalling my metabolism. I haven't experienced my appetite suppression as other have but regardless, due to my particular medical needs, it's working for me 🙂 Also, as an endocrine nurse, I have found my personal experience during all this as an amazing way to connect with my patients who are facing similar challenges. Everything happens for a reason ❤️

Good morning. I'm not discounting anything SpartanMaker posted above. However, I was in the exact same boat as you. I was eating 1200-1400 calories, religiously measured/counted everything, plenty of water, I played with my macros till I was blue in the face and for 10 months I did not lose and I did not gain. I'm a nurse so I probably have more background in nutrition than most, so I'm confident in how I was eating was appropriate and what most providers would "recommend". In February I went to my two year follow up. My labs were perfect, my vitals on point and I had not lost one ounce since the last visit nearly a year prior. After having a long conversation with my bariatric provider, the only change since the losing stopped was I was pretty much into full menopause. We discussed options and ideas on how to "overcome" the hormone influencing my insulin processes that was affecting my metabalism hurdle I may possibly be facing. She said based on her research zepbound might be a great option as it also can help in reducing "hot flashes" which I was having twice a day, everyday. Long story short, even with my insurance, zepbound would have been around $700 a month, so I choose to do the my budget friendly compound tirzepatide route (the compound equivalent to zepbound) with my provider's blessing. I have been on the weekly injections for 6 weeks and have already been able to shed 19#. I have not ate any differently, no change in my physical activity AND the hot flashes are gone. I'm not suggesting this would be the answer you need, but it's been a game changer for my journey. Good luck ❤️

My surgery is May 7. I started the 3 week pre-surgery diet today. I've started purchasing the supplements needed for after surgery. Looking for those after surgery "must have's", besides the supplements.

It's been a while since I've been active on here, but I'm really struggling. Any advice or encouragement would be a huge help. 😥 Almost right at my year mark post-op, I stopped losing weight. My doctor said that I should still be losing 1-2 pounds a week. Around this time I was eating 1400-1500 calories, so they recommended I scale back to 1200. I try to eat whole, unprocessed foods about 80% of the time, I still track what I eat, count my calories, prioritize protein, and exercise 4-5 times a week for 30 minutes (usually cardio, but I do resistance train, just not faithfully). I am eating 1200-1400 calories a day, and I'm struggling so bad. My weight sits somewhere between 211 - 219, depending on water retention, my cycle, travel, stress, etc, and it really hasn't changed since I saw my doctor last. I would love to try the GLP-1 class drugs to see if that could help, but my insurance doesn't cover it, so that's not an option. I'm really depressed over this, which I know doesn't help things. I feel like I've worked so hard, and I've just barely gotten halfway there. Now I'm terrified I'll start gaining weight again, and I've caught myself obsessing over my eating to the point it's feeling disordered and mentally unhealthy. Has anyone else had this struggle? If so, what helped you - either with losing more weight, or just coping with being at a plateau? 😭

My friend told me to bring these items and I was so happy I did: 1) A muumuu dress or a nightgown, your stomach will be so sensitive, even wearing shorts with elastic is uncomfortable, I lived in loose dresses for like 2 weeks 2) Chapstick, you will get thirsty and your lips will get dry because you're thirsty, a Chapstick will help with the dry feeling of your lips (can't do anything about the thirst unfortunately) 3) For when you get home, get a prop up pillow for sleeping, I didn't have a recliner anything to help me sleep, my first night home, I thought I could just go to bed like normal, nope, big mistake, it was painful to lay down, I used like 4 pillows to prop myself up like at the hospital and I bought a prop up pillow from amazon that same night I hope this helps, good luck!

yay! congrats! excited for u! recovery really varies from person to person. i do understand that if your procedure does not include muscle tightening it should be a little bit less painful (but again it depends on your individual pain tolerance!) things that i found useful for recovery (note: i had muscle tightening) 1) my husband. lol 2) a stool to sit on in the shower 3) big sturdy pillows to stay propped up in bed (helps when getting out of bed too) 4) my mother's cane to walk...mind u i probably walked too much, but it def helped my back cuz i was hunched over all the time. 5) a pillow to hug in the car when going over bumps, or when i coughed, and omg when i sneezed (sneezing was the worst!!) 6) my faja to keep me all tight and snuggled. i wore mine way beyond than what was prescribed because i just really liked the feeling of it, ha. good luck! ❤️

Hello! After what seems like forever (Thanks, insurance company!), I finally have a surgery date. May 7. What were you top 3 post surgery must haves?

I lost my weight throughout 2022. I had three distinct phases of hair loss, each a few months apart, and each lasting several weeks. It has taken until now for my hair to fully recover, but it has. I feel your pain, it's really demoralising. Trying shorter cuts can help while you wait for it to grow back. I know lots of people swear by various supplements, and treatments onto the scalp/hair itself, but I'm not sure there's much evidence that they work.

I am about 6 weeks out from my arm lift. I was cleared Friday to resume normal activities. Today I was at the gym lifting weights, though not yet quite as much as presurgery. Do everything they tell you and recovery should be a breeze!

Thanks a million. I think I get a two week sick cert and was then going to do two weeks homeworking and possibly add in some annual leave (seeing as the surgery is instead of a vacation) to not put too much pressure on myself or risk doing too much too soon. I also think I will hire a nurse/aid for an hour or so each day for the first few days, figure it might help ease my family concerns.

I had the sleeve in February 2023. Had extreme vomiting and reflux. We converted to the bypass February 2025. Now my entire house is down with a tummy bug. My kids got it and now I have it. I feel like it affects me worse than before. My tummy is cramping. I’m in so much pain, fever off and on, and achy. Does anyone have tips to help alleviate symptoms after surgery when it comes to stomach bugs? I’ve also been going through issues of throwing up constantly before the stomach bug hit. And we are working that out. It finally stopped and now I’m sick. My surgeon says my digestive system is “dysfunctional” because all scans were normal. The heartburn stopped but nausea and dizziness kept on for three weeks. I’ve also had other abdominal surgeries in those two years so they think my body is overwhelmed. I had an umbilical hernia repair and while doing that they found my abs had separated during pregnancy and stitched them back together. Then six months later my gallbladder was removed. Any help?

okay, breath. There isn’t a number or hard rules about what we’re all supposed to have lost by a certain time - 2 months or any other time frame. There are averages around rate of loss, how much you’ll lose, how long it will take, etc. But, as is expected with all averages, there will be those who do more than the average and those who do less. And there’s nothing wrong with that. All the averages should do is give you are idea of what MIGHT happen not what WILL happen. Too many factors influence your rate of loss and how much you will lose: gender, age, pre existing medical conditions, mobility, starting weight, and so on. Some surgeons may have some expectations but unless you aren’t losing anything in the first months (except during a stall) you have nothing to worry about & can breath easily. Actually all of us have to go through trying to work all this out further ourselves. Simply because we are different and what might work for someone may not work for you. Always start with the plan given to you by your surgeon and dietician and then after the first couple of months, start developing your own plan and way of eating to continue your lose and then maintain. Do some research (be critical in your analysis of your research, avoid fads and influencer talk), talk to your dietician, your doctor, ask for advice here and try things out and see how you go. You’ll make mistakes along the way and that’s okay. Losing about 2lbs a week is nothing to be concerned about. 2lbs a week is generally thought to be a good rate of loss for anyone (surgery, medication or doing it alone). I always say celebrate every pound you lose. Congratulations on your weight loss so far.

I just checked and at 2 months, I was down 20.6 lbs from the day of surgery. There's really not a hard and fast rule for how much you'll lose. Everyone is different and it depends on your starting point and how much you lost pre-op, too. I had some months when I lost a lot and other months where I hardly lost anything, but overall it moved steadily downward. My weight loss has stalled for the past month or so, now that I am more than a year out. The only guidelines I was given was 60g minimum of protein per day and 64oz water. I am now almost 14 months post-op and I've gone from 225 lbs on surgery day (251 was my highest, which was 6 months pre-op) to anywhere from 162-165lbs. My exercise consists of walking and that's it. I'd like to lose another 10 lbs but I'm also pretty fine with where I am as long as I don't gain (which is why I do hope to lose a bit more). I've gone from a size 22 to a size 12. I think I could still lose a bit more if I focused on cutting out some bad habits that have crept in with sweets/simple carbs, and if I increased my daily exercise to something a little more challenging than a walk. I don't count calories and I don't really track macros at this point, either. I just try to eat reasonable meals that focus on protein and veggies, and not snack too much or eat junk food too often. A typical day is either spinach frittata, Kodiak protein oatmeal, or a Greek yogurt for breakfast, plus a serving of mixed fruit (strawberries, cantaloupe, blueberries, grapes. Lunch is a good size spinach salad with 3oz chicken and some black beans. Dinner might be a bowl of homemade chicken, bean, and veggie soup, chili, or maybe some grilled meat and veggies. Sometimes I eat chickpea pasta with marinara and meatballs but other types of pasta and breads don't settle well. For snacks, I like string cheese and an apple, or some mixed nuts or roasted edamame. I have to be careful of overindulging in things like popcorn, candy, and cookies because they are too easy to eat without getting full (and sadly I don't get dumping from them). Red meat fills me up very quickly. The hardest thing for me now is dealing with the head hunger that makes me want to reach for food if I am bored or stressed. Getting the stuff out of the house completely is the only strategy that really works for me with that. My only real advice is don't drive yourself crazy. Just do your best each day and pay attention to your body. That's more important than counting calories. You're not on a diet! You need to figure out what you can sustain for the rest of your life, while paying attention now to the basics (protein and water, plus vitamins) to keep up your health.

I took 3 weeks off work after my arm lift/mommy makeover surgery. I felt like I would have good to go back after 2. Barring any complications, you should be totally fine at 8 weeks. Your scars will still be prominent, but easily covered by clothes.

Ah - such an interesting topic! Also a stomach sleeper through my whole life (including pregnancies with wedge pillows). I had to change to sleeping on my side for many weeks after my sleeve because of horrible draggy pain, with pillows wedged into various places, especially initially. I wish I had had a body pillow. About 3 months post op I was able to sleep my stomach but by then actively preferring my side, and now I sleep only on my side. One of the many random changes I've experienced post op. Welcome to your new life 😍

I take a medication that I've been taking for years and it's small enough that I was allowed to swallow that one whole at first. The medication the gave me for post-op care and nutrition were given to me in liquid form or I was to use the pill grinder that they sent me home with. The multivitamin they gave me was evil though. The only times I've thrown up post-op was those damn vitamins. They were huge liquid capsules that I was told I need to break open and swallow the fluid inside *shudders from the memories* until I was able to eat solid foods. After the first two times I threw up taking them, I called my surgical team and they told me it was ok to wait until I could swallow them. I tried again at 4 weeks and swallowed it whole and it was fine unless I swallow it on an empty stomach, which is tricky because all the pills at first felt like a meal in and of themselves. Once you have your surgery, your surgical team will be able to be more specific about what they recommend FOR YOU as everyone's mileage may vary. I was given three different recommendations in case, one wasn't available when I went to refill or what have you.

Hi all, I have been given an appointment for arm lift surgery the end of October, if all goes well, based on your experiences is this sufficient time (8 weeks) to be mainly recovered by Christmas with full motion etc.? I am due to fly home for Christmas and would want to be able to pull/push/lift suitcases without any issue, shower easily plus then enjoy my Christmas time and not have family and friends worried about me. Given the major problems I had with my sleeve surgery in 2023 I am a bit apprehensive as to how my body will react and recover. Plus I don't know how I am going to tell my family as I know they will have a total freak out considering I spent so long in hospital and had so many problems with leaks, pancreatitis, sepsis etc with the sleeve and how I live on my own with no real support network.

I was never given macros or calories just portion size recommendations & it came from my surgeon not the hospital. I was told to begin with 1/4 - 1/3 cup from purée stage gradually increasing to a cup at 6 months. I was also told 60g protein & keep low fat & low carbs. And I clearly remember my surgeon drawing a picture of a plate and sectioning it off to show the portion of protein, vegetables and carbs on a plate I would be consuming at a meal when I was in maintenance. If you think you’ll feel more comfortable with having more guidance, keep pushing your dietician or surgical team. It comes down to what you feel you need to be most successful.

The shortage is here in Australia. Much lIke the one you had with HRT in the States in 2023. For us it is only the combined transdermal patch which is the one I use. Our therapeutical goods association is saying we could be looking at another 12 months. It’s already been almost a year. I got two lots in February last year but then there was none available. My pharmacy received a small order in October but hasn’t had any at all since. It’s staring to happen with the creons I take too. P Oh I know. Clothing is starting to get firm and couldn’t do up a pair of jeans last week. Waah! Never a good sign.

@Lily2024 Good luck on surgery!! I was not able to work out for 7 weeks it was so tough, but getting back into the swing of things!

Good morning all... I have been getting bored with my protein shakes so for the last 2 weeks I have been going to this nutrition store to get a protein shake and tea every morning. The protein shakes and tea are made with Herbalife products. The shakes are 24 grams of protein, and the teas have a bunch of vitamins. What are your thoughts on using these as part of your plan...