Search the Community

you are fine. Most people seem to lose somewhere in the 7 - 11 kg (or 15-25 lb) during the first MONTH, and you've lost 10 kg in six weeks, so you're absolutely in the normal range. I lost 16 lbs (7 kg) the first month, so I was probably exactly where you are at six weeks out. I went on to lose over 90 kg (200 lbs). (you will always find people who lose less or more than the range I stated, but they're either outliers, or they started out at MUCH higher BMI's than most of us have - such as the people on shows like "My 600 lb Life"). Your nurse and doctor are fools. I had a resident tell me the same thing when I was a few weeks out, and I wish that jerk could see me now!! I'm sure I lost much more weight than most, if not all, of the people who went through the program when I did! rule #1 with this is; don't compare yourself to others! Your rate of weight loss depends on so many things, only a couple of which you have much control over. Age, gender, metabolic rate, what percentage of your body weight is muscle, genetics, starting BMI, whether or not you lost a lot of weight before surgery, diet, and activity rate are all factors. How much you're eating and how active you are are really the only things you have control over. Do well with those, and the weight will come off, whether fast or slow. But don't forget - 10 kg is six weeks is completely normal. Just carry on and don't listen to foolish crap like this. EDITED to add: I lost weight for 20 lbs. Yes the first month tends to produce more loss than following months, but just like with regular diets, that's because some of it is water weight. One kg a week is pretty normal after the first month - but that'll gradually drop as you approach a normal BMI.

Yes, @Trish662 , I had the exact same situation only I’m 5’4”. I was 53 yrs old when I had surgery in August, and had a long stall in December and bloodwork came back iron anemia. It took a month of faithful iron supplements with vitamin C during my lunchtime (coffee, milk products, PPT, magnesium supplements all make taking iron at other times cancel out absorption). You will have to find a 4 hr window (nothing 2 hrs before and nothing 2 hrs after) that works for your absorption. I ate meatloaf, meatballs and ground grass fed beef with a small amount of marinara or mild salsa for lunch meals as well. At the time I could only eat 3 oz of protein due to restriction (dietitian still pushing for 4oz per meal even now). I get my 60-80 grams of protein per day in easily now! After that grueling iron work I did start loosing weight much more regularly 3-4 lbs a month and kept loosing weight until 2 years and 4 months. I had RNY so I need to stay on top of the iron absorption issue regularly. If I forget to take the iron with C for a week, I feel sluggish and 4-5 lbs shows up quickly. It takes about another week to get the weight and iron back on track (says the bloodwork and doc). You’ll feel better soon and your stall will end quickly. I take Centrum Women’s 50+ tablets in the morning with Calcuim and D3, then additional Nature Made Iron 65mg with Trader Joe Vitamin C complex at lunchtime. I found my magnesium low too so I take that at night with a probiotic, Trader Joe’s is the cheapest that doesn’t hurt my stomach or pocketbook but you will probably find something you like better. I don’t count carbs, but I find if I eat any simpler carbs like an apple or oatmeal I dump. I also throw off all my electrolytes and get wicked muscle spasms. Gatorade Zero or similar products help me stay balanced, and I stayed away from most carbs except veggies during the loosing phase. I can eat the same or more calories in fat and loose, but if it’s carbs, stall, stall, stall. You will find your sweet spot, pun intended.

Hair is primarily protein, so protein intake does affect hair and hair loss as well. I know I will lose some hair. I used to have super thick, long hair, but PCOS thinned a LOT of it out for me. Fortunately, it is still pretty thick, but I am still trying to limit what I will lose as much as I can. Muscle wasting is a concern for me. I do have a decent amount of muscle, I work as a bedside nurse and, before I had some lower body issues, lifted pretty regularly. Didn't touch the scale or take any inches off, but at least I was flexible and stronger. Today marks the end of my lift restrictions, so I am hoping I can go back to doing some weight training soon!

Just to add, meat loses about 25% weight when cooked. So 4oz of raw chicken will weigh about 3oz after cooking.

"lot of people don't know that most diabetics of color have dark rings around the neck called acanthosis". White people also have this sign/symptom of insulin resistance. Mine disappeared along with my weight loss too! Although, I was prediabetic.

I'm 4 years out and have maintained a stable weight for over 2 years. I've taken a lot of cues from the WLS veterans on this forum because I'm acutely aware that a lot of WLS patients experience significant regain, and I live in fear of that because I've gone through a lot to lose 200 pounds and I don't ever want to go back to obesity. I learned early on that one of the keys to long-term maintenance is closely monitoring and tracking weight, and taking action promptly if it starts to creep up. I weigh myself on a daily basis (usually more than once a day). My weight can fluctuate quite a bit, sometimes by 5 pounds within a single day, so I consider my normal weight range to be 135-140 pounds. As long as I'm within that range, I don't give it a second thought. I may be outside of that once in a while, but I don't worry about it too much unless I stay outside that range for more than a couple of days. I've continued to track everything I eat and stay within a calorie limit. Five years ago, I would have been horrified to imagine tracking my food long-term, but I actually think it makes weight maintenance more sustainable. I could probably get away without tracking at this point because I habitually eat healthy, low-calorie meals, but much like having a financial budget, having a calorie budget allows me to prioritize and make conscious decisions about what I want to consume. If I'm tracking my food, I know whether I have room in my budget for a treat today, or if I want a specific treat, I can make sure to leave room in my calorie budget. I think this is really important because I don't have to go off track or have an out-of-control "cheat day" to eat what I want. I eat healthy foods most of the time (with the occasional treat within my calorie budget), and I've completely overhauled my diet. I've gotten the sense that one of the pitfalls that can lead to regain for WLS patients is that we can rely on our restriction for the first year or so to limit our calorie consumption, but if we continue to eat high-calorie foods like fast food and highly processed snack foods, once the restriction is weaker, we can eat enough calories to regain the weight, and/or eat around the restriction by having multiple smaller portions of high-calorie foods. I eat a lot of vegetables and salads, lean protein (chicken, pork loin, seafood), and legumes, and avoid sugar, refined carbs (rice, pasta, bread, crackers), fried foods, and other calorie-dense foods like cheese. I've discovered a lot of healthy foods that I love eating, so I don't feel deprived with delicious low-calorie meals. Initially, I was very strict about weighing and tracking every bite of food, but I've gotten much more relaxed about it and I just eyeball things that are negligible. I still weigh and measure things with higher calorie density like meat or oil, but I don't measure lettuce because even if I underestimate, it will be a 10-15 calorie difference at the most, and I log half a tomato instead of weighing the exact number of grams. This is another reason that weighing myself is key -- I know that if I'm maintaining a stable weight, my guesstimates must be close enough. Exercise wasn't a huge part of my weight loss strategy; I didn't do any exercise at all for the first 75+ pounds, and then I just did YouTube videos at home. Exercise has become a huge part of my lifestyle in maintenance, though. Not only do I do cardio at home on a daily basis and a minimum of 15,000 steps per day, but I also take fitness classes including strength training a few days per week.

Hi guys, So lately I've been seeing posts on tik tok and comments on there about people losing their teeth sometime after gastric bypass. That scares me a bit, but not stopping me from getting the tool. They all say they take their vitamins everyday. What could be causing them to lose their teeth? Is there something I can do to help prevent that? The other question is that I know this isn't the easy way out, it's just that everyone else who isn't in our situation always says it is the easy way out and they will argue and argue with you about it saying that it is. It's so annoying, they don't understand that its just like losing weight normally except you just have a tool to help keep you on track and if you mess up, you pay for it. That's like basically the only difference. Why do you think people are so against it? Besides the fact that it's super scary. If people wanted the surgery, it's because they need the help. Plus going in for weigh ins, nutritionist and all that, helps keep you motivated. People are weird.

Nice thanks! We shall see as time goes on. Right now I will drop weight as quickly as possible while I still have no appetite and a VERY restrictive pouch!!!

I ran out of my lansoprazole (PPI) medication and while there was a shortage at my local pharmacy, I couldn't take it. All in, I was off it for about 8-9 days. Now that I'm back on it, I feel hungry all the time. To the point where I've just eaten my recommended portion size and still feel hungry and so I eat more. My weight has started to creep back up (about .5kg//1lb) and the only thing I've been doing differently is taking this medication again. Is this a common side effect when one resumes taking this or is there something else going on? I'm also 2 and a half months post op so I just wonder if this is also the return of my appetite?

I got on my scale 2 weeks I was 315 now this week I am 322. Massive gain in that short time. Everyone says I eat like a chicken but chicken don't gain that much weight.

When you finally do drop weight, you’ll probably drop a couple or several pounds at once

Calories snd weight loss aside, I was warned that immediately post op that you may physically be able to eat more than you should and you really need to measure to avoid injuring yourself by eating too much until your insides are healed. Those portions they put in your book are not just a suggestion. They are really important. Once things heal you should start to feel your restriction better but you do still need to eat slowly and to pay attention to it or you will overfill yourself. The difference between okay and stuffed can be just one or two bites for most people. That being said, I could’ve eaten more than expected with every single stage post op and I could eat more than most when I was healed as well. I still can’t eat a lot but more than most sleevers. I still lost a pretty significant amount with the sleeve and then I revised to SADI recently in which my dr didn’t touch my sleeve and I have lost a pretty big chunk of weight again. If you choose healthy foods you won’t really be consuming that much more calorie wise with an extra quarter or half cup of food, honestly. I’m talking about like broccoli or salad greens. Stuff like that. If you do your protein first and do fruits and veggies after that you still probably wont have room for much else even with a slightly larger pouch. I know that I don’t. Sometimes when I’m exercising pretty intense I do add a third cup of brown rice but I have to cut the veggies to do so.

Received a call at 8.30am this morning to be told that I was discussed in last Fridays MDT meeting and was accepted for surgery 🥳🥳🥳 I was then told I would be having a ‘One Anastomosis Gastric Bypass’ - huh?? The nurse repeated herself and I was still none the wiser. She said that she would ask a specialist Bariatric nurse to call me to discuss and would send me the info out. I asked for it to be emailed, which she did. I had a read through and did some more research on the internet, just to familiarise myself with what had been suggested. It’s the mini gastric bypass. The specialist nurse rang me just after 9am and explained that it meant that my ‘pouch’ is slightly bigger then that of a Roux-en-Y bypass and there is only one connection or ‘anastomosis’ which is from the pouch to the bowel. Apparently it’s not as complex with the op taking around 1.5hours and recovery just the same as the normal bypass plus the weight loss is expected to be the same. I was recommended it because of Fibromyalgia and the chronic pain I have with RA and osteoarthritis as it would be easier for me. That made sense, thankfully! The specialist nurse said it was a relatively new procedure to the hospital which is why it wasn’t discussed in any detail at the first education session I attended a few months ago. Fair enough, I’m happy to go ahead with it. The wait is around 4-6 months - oh 😒 I was honest and said that I was concerned about losing focus while I’m waiting and gaining weight once again (we all know how easy that is) She went through everything again with me - 3 meals a day, 20/20/20, use a portion plate if I have one (I do) focus more on my protein etc. She also said that if I do begin to struggle, to contact her and they would fit me in with the dietitian to go through things with me. I felt better for her saying that. I did reiterate that I am happy to take a cancellation. She said they do get cancellations but would have to make sure that I had at least 3 weeks notice to complete the LRD. I’ll be honest and say that I’m really, really hoping that the 4-6 months is on the outside and that the surgery is sooner! I know that whatever will be will be, so just to keep on keeping on. Gym is going well, 3 visits last week and I’m hoping for 3 more this week. I’ve upped my levels and weights and I’m burning around 600-650 cals in around an hour or so workout or so my Apple Watch tells me! I can feel muscle, it just happens to be deeply buried and camouflaged with fat 😮 I tried my smaller sized gym stuff on yesterday and, while I can get it on I wouldn’t say it actually fitted, so a few more pounds to go before I would feel comfortable enough to wear it. I bought a new black trench coat from Costco at the weekend. It’s been a very, very long time since I’ve been able to fit into clothing from there so that was a nice boost. It will definitely last me a reduction of a couple of sizes too. My weight is steady at the moment but I do hope to bring it down a little bit more before I have to do the LRD. Bloods to have taken yet again on Wednesday. If my liver is off this time then they will have to think of something else. I’ve not had my weekly jabs for 7 weeks, I’ve missed my other jab for 4 weeks plus no pain relief for 4 weeks either and it’s all wearing really thin with me now. I’m finding that I’m snapping at hubby because of pain and it’s not fair. The gym is really helping my range of movement but the pain remains. We’re out for belated birthday drinks on Friday (postponed because of blood tests ) and that’s about it. I’ve decided to crack on and make a start on wrapping Christmas presents this week. Thankfully my Christmas shopping is almost finished - hurray for sales! Wishing everyone a happy week 🥰 Onwards and Downwards!

haha! girl I gotchu!! From what I read you work out a lot so if your comfortable with weights then lift heavy! I do anymore from 40 to 110lbs depending on the workout. I workout lower body 3x a week! Here are some examples of workouts I do! Also you can totally ask, I am having so much fun seeing what transforms my body lol. I have more written down in another book, but if you want more lemme know!! I have great upper body ones too! Still working on the abs lol I haven't found anything that has helped a whole lot, but with the workouts I do now my core is pretty strong. This is my quick lunch workout paired with 30min of cardio 4 sets 8-10 reps Leg Press Seated Hamstrings Seated Leg Extensions This is my tried and true for a booty pump: Cardio: Treadmill 12+ incline 3+ mph 30 min (don't hold onto rails) Back Extensions 15 reps no weights, 15 reps with weights, 15 reps with the heaviest weights Bulgarian Split Squats Heavy Weights 4 sets of 8 each leg Walking lunges Heavy Weights 4 sets of 8 steps turn around and walk back 8 steps Hip Thrusts Heavy Weighted 4 sets of 8-12 reps This is a machine only: Start at highest weight for 2 sets then finish at last set with 10 reps at heaviest weight, 10 reps at medium weight finish with 10 reps at lighter weight Back extension Glute Kickback Machine Hip Adductor Hip Abductor Leg lift Leg curl

Hi, I'm Jeremy. I'm 42 and have been fighting weight issues for decades. I will be having mini-bypass surgery on October 14th in Istanbul. Age : 42 Heaviest: 330 Now: 312 Goal: 190

I would start the habit now of following your surgical team’s instructions to a T. I think most who have had long term success here did just that. I know it helped me immensely in my first year, when I lost the most weight, to do what they said rather than trust my own instincts which led me to being overweight in the first place.

"I mean all the hoops that are required for weight loss surgery, I haven’t done anything like this for any other surgery It really feels like discrimination. How is it that in this day and age they are still getting away with it.?" I wholeheartedly agree. I think about this when I think about skin surgery not being covered by insurance because its "elective" "plastic surgery" yet transitional surgeries are covered and "elective". Both are to help with how we see ourselves, what our inner selves are, our mental health! The differences are one can cause bad rashes, difficulties wearing clothing and getting around/exercising, back pain/skeletal pain from excessive hanging skin weight and is caused by treating a disease. The other involves self perception as well and can cause mental distress, yet is readily covered by insurance and yet involves "healthy body parts." To me it IS discrimination, why cover one without question but not the other? Heck, transitional doesn't even require therapy now. Both are major changes in a life. I always got the impression insurance companies refuse to cover skin surgery because we "brought it on ourselves" opposed to it being an actual symptom from a disease. I have rosacea which is purely a visual thing yet its covered, as is acne, warts etc...all covered. Yes, they're cheaper to cover, but are a disease that's visual that's covered they also won't cause a secondary problems. They will even cover breast reductions for back pain, why not excessive skin for back pain? I personally found no worth to the therapy session, I knew and know what caused my obesity and what I needed to do to get healthier. Some may not. It should be voluntary or required if people start to back slide gaining weight after surgery but to me beforehand was pointless. It would have been more helpful to cover the changes in your life that would be happening. Yes, I was also required to do a group session with ppl who had gone through it or were..but it was a structured topic put on by the dieticians. Perhaps if they offered mentors or group sessions for dealing with life changes..that would be better..ppl who've gone through it, not someone schooled on what its supposed to be like..that would be better opposed to a size two I've never battled with my weight therapist/dietician!

Thank you so much for sharing your journey—it’s really encouraging to see how far you’ve come! Your progress is amazing, and it’s a great reminder that the weight loss isn’t linear but still consistent over time. I definitely need to shift my mindset and focus more on my own path, like you said. I love that you're fitting into jeans from when you were 22—that’s such a huge win! Hearing how your weight loss has unfolded over the months gives me hope, especially knowing that you’re still losing at 7+ months post-op. I’ll try to keep that long-term perspective in mind, and stop stressing about how fast or slow the weight is coming off right now. Thanks again for the advice and inspiration! I’m feeling much more positive about my journey now.

Can you spread your morning meds out so you’re not taking them at the same time? Even spreading them out over 30 minutes may help so you’re not taking large mouthfuls too close together. I can do two mouthfuls to swallow meds but not a third. Struggled to take a Serc tablet one morning for my meniere’s vertigo. Just couldn’t swallow it as it was sticking in my mouth. Finally after 4 mouthfuls I got it down. Then I swear I took 3 steps to go back to bed and up all the water came (& the med 😩). Are any of the meds multi vitamins? Vitamins are renown for making you feel blah or nauseous. Can you split when you take them like I used to take one in the morning and the second one at night. PS Congrats on your weight loss so far. Fantastic!

Thank you for sharing - I hadn't even thought about clothes but am actually kind of excited for when that time comes. I have avoided shopping because it stresses me out but now look forward to it. I'm glad your experience hasn't been different from others who are taller, I was worried that being shorter and having a starting weight that was less would make it the weight loss a lot slower and maybe even not as effective. I'll definitely be asking a lot of questions as I move along the process, so thank you for being so welcoming :)

I use the Nutracheck app and I can add my own recipes with weights & nutritional value of each ingredient and state how many servings it makes. I can then use either the portion size, the full recipe or specific weight used. So for your turkey meatballs I would state the weight/nutritional value of turkey, peppers, onion, marinara etc and say it makes 16 portions. I don’t know if this helps!

Hey there! I had bypass back in February. My best advice is to ignore other people's stats and focus on you. I, too, was worried about my progress, but 7 months in, I am still losing weight and just bought jeans in a size I have not worn since I was 22 years old (I am 50 now). Here is how it went for me, just so you can see one example, but we are all different. Starting weight: 251 lbs (BMI 40.5 as I am 5'6" tall) Pre-surgery loss (over 6 months): -12.2lbs (this was from nutrition changes) 2 week liquid diet: -15.4lbs Month 1: -8.2lbs Month 2: -10.8lbs Month 3: -3.8lbs Month 4: -11.0lbs Month 5: -3.4lbs Month 6: -5.2lbs Month 7: -3.6lbs So far in month 8: -2.2lbs Today's weight: 175.2lbs (BMI 28.3) My goal is to lose another 20lbs in the next 5-6 months, which would be 3-4 lbs per month. That would get me to a "normal" BMI of under 30 and would be about the same weight I was when I was 18 years old.

Hi Ladies, I’m almost 6 weeks post-op from my gastric bypass. I started at 109.5 kg, and now I’m at 98.6 kg, so I’ve lost about 10 kg. While my nurse and doctor mentioned that I could’ve lost more by now, they said it’s still not bad. Honestly, it didn’t make me feel great, but a loss is a loss, right? I find myself comparing my progress with others, mostly with sleeve patients, which I know isn’t fair. So, I’m here in the bypass forum to hear from others with success stories. Shouldn't the most weight loss happen in the first 2-3 months, and then it slows down? Right now, I’m losing around 1 kg per week, which I know is healthy, but I keep feeling like I should be losing more, and then I panic, wondering if I’m overeating. I’m on a 1200-calorie plan with 8-10 small meals a day. I haven’t been able to stick to the 10 meals, but I do my best to hit 8, and they’re all balanced. My workout routine has been almost non-existent, but I joined the gym TODAY, so that will change! I just need some reassurance that I WILL lose the weight and that I’m not going to fail like I have in the past with weight loss.

I had a colleague come up to me during my coffee break and hovering over my head saying "can I ask you a question?" and I instantly knew what he was going to say, and he goes "are you okay? You look really thin and frail these days" he is a sweetheart and he is someone I have worked with a long time ago and have great rapport with, so I just smiled and told him yes I am okay and thanked him for his concern. Not a day goes by that I don't receive comments from multiple people on my physical appearance. How thin I look, how awesome I look ...etc. and it's just a multitude of opinions varying from you look awesome to are you sure you're not terminally ill? I asked my husband the other day if he thinks I look like death and he goes you look like a sports illustrated model, which at the end of the day, is the only opinion I value besides my own opinion of myself. People see it as drastic weight loss, I see it as one of the greatest successes of my life, using a tool that helped me lose weight and running with it resulting in great satisfaction and a much healthier body image. I don't take these comments to heart, I look and feel great, and often think that most of these comments aren't personal, they are probably the byproduct of shock. Yes a fraction of them are ill-intended but then again, why should they matter to me? The good and bad, they're just opinions and they belong to others, not me.

Hi everyone 🩷 I’m considering having revision surgery and have an appointment with my doctor next week. I’d love to hear some of your experiences with revision surgery, the process and road to your actual surgery date, post op experience - anything you’re willing to share ☺️… soo lay it on me ! The good, the great, the bad, and the ugly! I lost about a 100 lbs and kept it off for about 4 years but since having a baby 2 years ago I’ve really been struggling with my weight again. TIA 🩷