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Sorry @BlueParis! Stalls suck balls! I hate them too. 😘

I'm sorry about the stalls. No matter how much we know they will happen, it doesn't make it any easier. I know in the past, the closer I got to my goal weight, the slower it would come off. @BlueParis this could be the case with you? How are things feeling... your body? Your clothes? My dietician told me that these things will continue to change even during stalls.

I've been stalled for 3 weeks. I contacted the dietician and had her look over my food logs on the baritastic app. She told me stalls can last a month, sometimes more. She went on to tell me I wasn't getting enough fiber. So, I bought some Flaxseed and going eat more fiber foods to see if that was the thing keeping me stalled. How many grams of protein and carbs are you getting per day? I'm curious, every doctor or nutritionist seems to have a variety of how they do things. I believe you had the sleeve which would be a different nutritional guideline than mine since I've had gastric bypass. It's frustrating to work on doing the right thing, only for a lingering stall. It has been getting really hot in Oklahoma. Mid to high 90's. I have a hot job as it is. Sweating all the time, I thought just by the heat and sweating I would lose a few pounds. It truly is a marathon

@BlueParis Oh, what a nuisance! The long stalls are so hard. I'm sure it's just that your body needs some time, but that doesn't make it any easier to deal with emotionally. Will you ever have a point where you don't have a lot of travel, or is that pretty much your normal schedule?

Sigh.....I need to figure out how to maintain and not lose more weight. Wanted to stop at 190....but now I can't figure out how to stop losing!!!! Never in a million years did I think I would ever have this problem. I can't add more carbs because I'm SUPER sensitive to them and too many make me REALLY sick. I tried adding more calories, but because I work out 4-5 days per week, it's actually causing me to lose still. So weird. I tried eating more small meals and snacks more often, but honestly, I already have 3 meals and 2 snacks per day, and eating more just makes me sick to my stomach because I'm trying to force myself to eat when I'm not hungry. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. I know my secret goal was 180, but I actually like how I look and feel at 190, so I'm not really looking to go lower. Yet here I am....going lower.....

Got home. Got naked. Stepped on scales. Back at 70.4kg. So up 1 kg (2.2lbs) since last Friday .One full month of being stalled today. Starting to get very very very fed up. No way am I consuming over 1000 calories a day even counting every drop I drink, every splash of milk I put in a coffee. So p*ssed off at still seeing a 7 on the scales. Doing my head in. Going to have a nap and reflect.

As far as getting ready: I've got a binder my doctor gave to me. It has basically all the information that I should need going forward. I do look at it periodically to refresh my memory about what is expected of me. For the dietary changes and stages, I write everything I need to stop/start on a calendar. For example: I need to stop drinking coffee and need to taper off to avoid headaches. I am also weaning myself off carbonated water and need reminders. I'm struggling with a few things such as taking small bites, so I like to put reminders in my calendar so i have to see them every day. I'm also changing my vitamins over to different brands and also needed reminders for that as well. (I'm forgetful!) I've made a list of the things I need to buy such as different kinds of protein powder, unjury protein, chewable vitamins, calcium chews, small utensils, small plates, a drink blender, etc. I've made a list of things to pack for the hospital (thanks to several threads here on this website, I have a list going). As I purchase them, I mark them off. Along those lines, I have fairly good ideas of the types of things I will be eating in each dietary stage so that I can plan ahead for grocery shopping when I get to that point. I purchased several books off amazon that were used, and very inexpensive. Things like bariatric cookbooks and bariatric mindset success books. I do try to read a little bit each day and then journal about what I read. I drive a lot for work so I have plenty of time to listen to podcasts. There are several that I enjoy that I feel are science-based, supportive and informative. I've learned many things from these podcasts about bariatrics. They're free and it's easy to just put one on a few times a week. Besides bariatricpal, I am trying to avoid other websites that deal with bariatrics at this point. It felt overwhelming and felt like I kept going down a rabbit hole of horror stories and it was not helping with my anxiety. There is one person on youtube that I enjoy watching because she's many years out and is very inspiring. Now that I have a date for surgery, this all feels very real and scary. I am trying to not give into the fear too much and remember why I am here at this decision. I need to take charge of my health. I have ONE precious life. I want to live the rest of my life in the best health that I can. I've tried desperately since I was about 20 (in my late 40's now) to lose the weight and keep it off. I've had high blood pressure for 15 years and no matter what I do, It continues to be an issue for me. I've been warned that I am pre-diabetic and likely someday soon that will catch up to me and I'll officially be diabetic. I cannot do this on my own and maintain it. It's that simple. This is my second chance and I will not turn back. This is honestly a story about saving my own life by asking for help. I hope this helps.

For me, I live on 1100 - 1200 calories on non work out days and 1300-1400 on workout days. On my weight training day, I tend to go up to 1500 calories. I work out 5 days per week. I also have 2 rest days. My protein, fluid intake, carbs, healthy fats, and calories are all higher on workout days, but I still can't get anywhere NEAR 2100 per day. 1500 is really pushing it, but I only do heavy weight training once per week, so it's ok. For quite a while, my calories on non workout days were 800-900 or so and workout days were 1100-1300, depending on what workouts I was doing that day. As time has gone on, my calorie and food intake has increased, but I still stick to the rule that I eat until I'm not hungry anymore, not until I'm stuffed. It's normal for our stomachs to hold a little more and our calories to increase as time goes by. What's important is to be selective with where those calories and carbs come from, not to overeat, and to be mindful of moving your body and getting in enough fluids.

I'm in the same position, I've got two incisions that won't heal either. I'm four weeks post-op. Luckily I've no infection but the stinging and pain under the wound are unreal sometimes. I'm down 32 lbs including pre-op diet.

Going pretty well! It’s forcing me to exercise 3 days a week and I dare say I might enjoy it.

Keep in mind that most nutritionists, it's their job to tell you to stay within certain limits that were decided by prior care teams who-knows how many years ago, based on individuals who could be much different than you. Those limits may be absolute BS, but they have to cover their own ass and give you these 'healthy guidelines'. In my care team, I have three different nutritionists I've seen so far. One of them seems very open, very with it, and all her advice so far has been really helpful. The other two have been absolutely useless. (Ironically, one is constantly looking at my food logs and saying things like "and where do you see that you could have added more protein here" even though I'm usually already in the 80-100g range -- and I DO NOT work out) For what it's worth, I think you're doing exceedingly well. Every time I see you post around here, I pay attention because you really seem to be in tune with your own body. If you're not having any protein over-consumption symptoms and your labs are good, I would take what's useful from the NUT and throw the rest away. (Are they sending you for bloodwork routinely, or has that fallen through the cracks too?)

Agreed, your temper-tantrum-toddler-tummy is likely to go back and forth on things. The slower you eat, the easier it'll be to tell when something is even beginning to irritate your insides -- hopefully so you can stop before it leads to cramping or other nasty symptoms. For me, the transition from purees to soft foods was (and still is) a bit of a battle. I couldn't handle tuna or egg salad (unless it was completely pureed with greek yogurt / light mayo) until... uh.... well I'm 12 weeks in and I still can't? LOL, my body gets angry at anything not exceedingly moist, so canned fish and any egg other than poached just won't go down. Mayo and yogurt have been fine though. Anyway, whenever you run into digestive issues, just take a step back. Eat some things you know you can handle for a few days, and try again -- or try a different method of prep. I've found that steaming most of my foods (even found an awesome microwave steamer) helps keep them moist enough 8/10 times. Healthy sauces or dips are your friend. Don't rush yourself, you'll be eating more satisfying textures soon enough. (I've also found that for egg salad, if I puree half of my serving and then hand mash the other half, the consistency changes enough to give me less problems. I also throw in some mashed avocado and more greek yogurt than is probably needed.) (Have you tried egg drop soup? You beat an egg or two, and drizzle that in a spoonful at a time to simmering / lightly boiling broth. Simple, but can be really satisfying.)

Hi Calli, I’m 2 weeks post op and same here two wounds refuse to heal and one behave infected. So I am not on Antibiotics and ointment. Surgeon said they will need to close by secondary intention, so will need dressing and salt baths. Pretty annoying. However I have lost 17 kg so far including the pre op diet

That's wonderful!! You did it!! How is it going? Still keeping up with the vitamins and hydration? How frequently would you say you use the protein shakes as opposed to eating mechanical soft foods, etc? I'm trying to figure out how many I ought to plan on needing for the weeks up to and after my surgery at the beginning of August.

I have to be honest about my experience so far with dietitians, and with post-bariatric advice and counseling in general. If you ask 100 dietitians what we are supposed to be doing, you will get 101 different responses. And if you ask them a second time, you will probably get even more. Too much protein, not enough protein, carbs are the devil, carbs are fine, low fat, don't worry about fat, count calories, only count macros, work out more, don't exercise too much... You've lost over 100 pounds. You are 12.8 pounds from your goal at only 5 months post-op, work out 6 days a week, and look and feel great. You seem really happy. I fail to see why you should change anything if you are happy with your results, unless you think the advice will benefit you. You know your body and what works for you, and unless your dietitian is a bariatric patient, she's never been through what you are doing first hand. Take what she says with a grain of salt, except salt is bad, unless it isn't because electrolytes are good...who knows?

It's not something that has been easy for the past 15 years. I used to workout several days a week for a long time, but I was just more into weight lifting, not so much cardio or anything like it. Since I've lost a lot of weight, that same drive has kicked started again. Also, I know this is going to need to be a long term thing to ensure I don't go back to what I was doing before. I have knee replacement surgery in October, so I'm trying to keep the knee strong for better recovery.

First time posting on these forums, so hello everyone. Glad to have found this space to talk about my experience as I find it very hard to communicate with everyone else in my regular day to day life. I'm exactly 15 days post op (Gastric Sleeve) as I type this. And honestly, after reading many replies on here, I almost feel survivors guilt, but I do feel blessed as I thankfully did not experience many issues whatsoever. 24 hours after surgery I walked out of the hospital on my own, sore, but proud. I guess my biggest issue has been sleeping as I move around a lot while I sleep and at the beginning it would wake me up from pain for twisting and turning while I slept, and even then, that's no longer an issue. But, I never had nausea, or vomit, did not take any pain medication past the first 48 hours, I'm not trying to brag, just feeling fortunate after reading some stories on here. Everyone has their own stories and journeys, for me I was obese my whole life. This was ok through my 20s as I felt invincible, and eventually those checks I was writing on my body came back to collect. Back pain and diabetes were first. But it wasn't until a week before the world shut down that things went really off the wall. A long term relationship ended, and as the world closed, it kept me from my support groups, and led me down a dark path of basically eating and drinking myself almost to death with nowhere to go. At my absolute heaviest I thought I would die at a staggering 407 pounds. Poetic as that's the area code for my city lol. Knowing I had to make a change or I would not make it to 40 I went to a doctor, which led to a cancer scare. At that moment my life changed, and I knew change needed to happen now. I began diet and working out and made it down to about 375-380 where I had been hovering for over two years. Bariatric surgery is what I knew I needed to help me, and after fighting with insurance for two years, I finally got a new job last November, and the insurance there covered the surgery 100%! So I began the process in January. And on May 30th, 2024, at 10AM, I went in for surgery. To say that life has changed, for the better, is an understatement. In two weeks I have dropped almost 30 pounds. I'm feeling amazing as far as my stomach (kinda weirds me out to say pouch lol) is concerned post surgery. Still in the liquid diet though looking forward to chewing something this weekend, as I'm absolutely sick of Jello. I am still not hungry, and almost feels like a miracle. My blood sugar is stabilizing without medication. My blood pressure is improving almost daily. Walking a mile a day does not leave me searching for oxygen, and I can't wait to start the gym on June 30th and really kick this into high gear. TL/DR: This is a second change at life, and I will not waste it. Look forward to learning more from others through this process. Onwards and upwards.

I used to describe my tummy as a fussy, petulant temper throwing 2 year old. Likes this, not that. Liked this yesterday but not today. Ate this much yesterday barely can eat half today. Your digestive system has gone through a lot in the surgery and it’s going to take some 8 weeks to heal. There’s something up to 12 inches of sutures & staples holding your tummy together. It’s going to be sensitive to certain flavours, textures (& smells for some). Think of that wound being on your arm & how it would be sensitive to different temperatures, different pressures, it may sting, cramp, spasm, etc. as you move about. Same with your tummy you just can’t see the wound. And sometimes your tummy simply isn’t ready to eat some foods yet even if your program says you can. Go slowly. If your tummy doesn’t tolerate something it doesn’t mean you won’t be able to eat it in the future. Your tummy may not like mayo now (too rich or acidic or sweet 🤷🏻‍♀️) but in a couple of weeks it may be fine. It sometimes is challenging to find foods your tummy will tolerate at first. You may find you’re eating the same 2 or 3 things for a couple of weeks at a time. I ate a lot of yoghurt, runny instant rolled oats & runny scrambled eggs in the puree stage. Even had baby food twice to break the monotony. By solid food I was able to eat a lot of things.

So i had egg salad and tuna salad this week. Its so annoying how my stomach reacts. Im not sure if its the mayo but i wish i could eat more before my stomach starts to cramp up. I’m 9 fays post op. Any suggestions?

Had an appt with my Dietician and I am so irritated, like so bothered! I told her that I weight train 6x a week on top of cardio 6x a week. Went over how much I ate and what type of foods and she told me I am eating too much protein, and I need to stop drinking my proffee in the morning only have decaf coffee. She said I need to eat under 100g of protein even though I am weight training. I could not respond, I am not trying to be thin my goal is to get fit and shapely which is why I weight train. My multivitamins I have to adjust which I knew I needed to. I feel so discouraged by what she said, she told me that the 1000 cal is "ok". I asked what that meant, she said I am on the higher scale of what I should eat at 5months post op, I told her but I workout for an hour plus a day? If I ate less I would pass out from exhaustion. My post surgeon team completely left me to figure this all out on my own. I was supposed to have a 6 week and 3 month group appt which she asked why I didn't attend....I told her because your team never called me to set them up and I didn't know that was even a thing. So I have been on my own since week 2. I thought I was kicking ass and taking names, now I am so bummed. Just venting

I have 3 kids 12, 6 and 2. I did not tell them. The day that I went my mom stayed over and hubs and I told the kids that I had to go to the doctors because my stomach needed to get checked and fixed. Now all they see is that my eating habits have changed, and I workout every day. So they just think that I made a lifestyle change and got thinner that way. My oldest is my step son and his mom is very very body conscious and body shames? She struggles with her weight and has made comments how my daughter has slimmed down, or how the 12 has finally lost his baby weight and will barely eat. I nip that in the butt quick! I have to tell her that we cannot speak negatively in front of our kids, its going to cause a complex like we have. I grew up with my mom always talking about weight and she still does. I try my best to not surround our conversations on negative body image. I do home work outs 2-3x a week and sometimes with my daughter who is 6 asks to work out with me to get skinny, I tell her its not to get skinny its to get strong and stay healthy. So I try to just surround our convos around that. Its tough with kids!

Since I started my weight loss journey 2 years ago with my first surgery, he decided to change his eating and exercising habits. I lost 200 pounds in 2 years, he lost 66 pounds in 2 years. We're both absolutely thrilled My A1c went from 7.9 to 5.0, no more more high bp or diabetes or high cholesterol (mine went from 249 to 170). His A1c went from 12.8 (yes you read that right) to 5.9, no more high bp, and his cholesterol went from 266 to 194. I went from a size 30/5x to a size 14/XL. He went from a size 52 waist to 42. And from a size 3x shirt to XL. And we go on 3+ mile walks together twice a week and he works out for an hour to an hour and a half twice a week with me (I work out above and beyond that). He's changed about 80% of his eating habits. He's more confident and happier, as am I . It certainly helps when you have a supportive spouse that wants to better themselves because they see you doing well and get inspired. That's what he told me

Yeah, it's only slowly changing here so that we can find larger sizes in regular shops. I have been a bit bigger since my mid-20s, which is when I developed a thyroid issue. So when I was working in a finance office in downtown Boston years ago, I was always one of the biggest women at a size US 16/18. I was going to a wedding and went to all the department stores in downtown on my lunch breaks, but none of them had over a size 14 in the dress departments, and when I went to the (cramped, disorganized, shoved in the very back by the hot, smelly bathrooms) "plus size" department, they had no dresses! It was like oh no, fat girls don't go to parties and only need stretchy-waist track suits and sweatshirts with rhinestone-encrusted cats on them. I was prepared to spend a pretty penny on something new, and I ended up wearing the one dress I already had in my closet. And as I got larger, I stopped caring about what my clothing looked like as long as it wasn't tight. If I found one top I liked, I would just buy it in every color and be done. Funny thing, though. Today, I put on a pair of US 16 trousers (which were tight a few weeks ago but perfect today!) and I realized I am back to the size I was in my mid-20s. But I am no longer the largest woman in the room, or even close. Our whole population is getting so much bigger. Now the department stores carry 16s, and even 18s sometimes, on the main floor, but even that tends to exclude a lot of customers. Portion sizes in restaurants are so large, and food ingredients and additives are not to be trusted even in the grocery stores. I think we have an environment that is destined to make most people overweight and unhealthy. And yet, we still discriminate against obese people.

Hi there! I didn't see the doc on Monday because my knee felt slightly better. However, it's not good now, so my husband is taking the day off to help me around the house and take me to the doctor! Thank you for asking!! We have a bunch of animals, and trying to care for them on my own is pretty impossible right now. It's crazy how different our sizing is! I wish we had a universal system for weights and measures. Maybe someday, but I'm too old to convert at this point. Lol. I hope you broke your stall!!!