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Hello everyone. This is my very first post. I am so happy to have found this site. I am hoping to learn from those that have already had their surgery for personal insights. I am scheduled for my VSG on Monday April 14th and I am both scared and excited! I know everyone's journey is different, but I was hoping for some personal experiences of ladies that are post-menopause, and to hear your 'story'.

What you need to ask yourself is something I used to help me when my weight appeared to not be fast enough; did I put the weight on in just a few months? No, so I need to be patient and let the process work and do my part while not expecting the weight to come off in such a short time! Give yourself the gift of being patient with your body. I know its difficult, especially being that we're an instant gratification society now, but you deserve the grace, time and patience knowing you made the right decision for yourself having had the surgery! Follow the guidelines you were given by your bariatric team. But f you still don't feel the weight is coming off as fast as you think it should - schedule an appointment with your dietician/surgeon and ask for they're advice. You've got this! Lastly 13lbs is an average/"normal" weight loss for 5 weeks 🤗

You are doing amazing but I do understand how you feel. In the very beginning I just wanted to lose the weight as quickly as possible but then I had an epiphany! I need to fix my relationship with food! I'm 10 weeks out so I'm still early days but I know that just losing weight is a sticking plaster for the real reason I used food as a coping mechanism. So I think I need to consider therapy! The food noise gets so bad for me sometimes its like torture! I will be so much more happier when I nail these obsessive food thoughts but it will take time, I've had them my whole life. Like many I have lost up to 6 stone and put it back on quite a few times before I took the plunge and had surgery so I guess I need to be kind to myself and learn to understand the parts of myself that I have ignored for so long. Are you counting calories? at the 5 week mark I was managing around 500 cals a day. I didn't have the protein drinks because I was fuller for longer eating minced chicken, tuna, eggs, lentils, cottage cheese and pureed foods for less calories, a quarter of a cup at a time. I still managed to get in my protein and at least 2 litres of fluids too. If I was a little under in my protein I would drink a clear whey isolate protein squash drink, they are around 100 cals and contain up to 22g of protein! I am on 800 cals a day now as my stomach has done a lot of healing since then. Everyone is different though and I know that some people still can't tolerate actual food at your stage, so listen to your body hun. Here's some ideas for purees for you, a quarter of a cup at a time is about right for the stage you are at but if you can't manage it all that's fine, its just a guide for you. Tuna and mayonnaise - 14 grams of protein Blended baked chicken. I would bake chicken in some tinned tomatoes and season with garlic and herbs then blend it. 50g of chicken has 16g protein Egg mayo - an egg has 6-7g protein Bolognese - use 5%fat minced beef and blend with a tomato based sauce or make your own - 11g protein Protein puddings available in all the supermarkets - 15-20g protein readybrek oats with some protein powder Fat free cottage cheese blended with peanut butter powder and some sweetener if you need it. Cottage cheese has 11g protein per 100g PB powder has 8g protein per serving Ricotta cheese bake - you can find the recipe on Pinterest and even on here! I wish you well on your journey my lovely. You are on a path of healing, mentally, physically and emotionally and you are doing amazing! Be kind to yourself the weight will come off and at 5 weeks you are still healing and probably holding extra fluid anyway. xx

Hey guys, How is everyone coping with life after being sleeved? I am doing a lot better than I was a few weeks ago but I still have a long way to go! My surgical wound that would not heal had to be packed by the nurses for a month. I'm 10 weeks post op and it has finally closed but it seemed to take forever! The head hunger is very up and down for me and torturous at times.... but I am starting to learn new things about myself when it happens. I am still very much navigating my way through dealing with it, I have good days and bad days depending on what's going on in my life. Depression is definitely a thing for me, I am very up and down. I have suffered with it on and off my whole life and at times I feel so lost. I am snappy with my poor hubbie and I am forever apologising to him. I have times where I feel as though I am crawling around on my hands and knees in the dark searching for the light switch that never seems to appear. I am distant at times even from my family but I don't want to be alone, probably because I don't wanna sit with my thoughts because I can't deal with them. I notice that when I am feeling low the obsessive food thoughts creep in to torture me. I am starting to look into getting some therapy for this, it may help. Anyway enough about me tell me about how you are doing! How much weight have you lost, how are you coping with your new lifestyle and please show us some progress pics! xx

I traveled 3 weeks post op, went to 3 different parks (walked a ton) and went on rollercoasters LOL. I had the energy and felt totally fine. Also, my husband did all the super crazy rollercoasters so that helped. If your surgeon is okay with it, see how you feel after surgery? I was totally okay a week post op and back to work even. Just make sure you go prepared with your snacks because I had to eat every 2 hours and you know how park food is, so that was a struggle.

I agree, Check with your surgeon. I had low energy too and low blood pressure with several weeks. There’s no way I could walk around Disneyland. I couldn’t stroll around the local shopping centre for 30 minutes. Can you postpone your trip? I know your son is probably vey excited but he won’t enjoy it if you’re not at your full strength. Congratulations on getting your surgery approval.

This is a question I'd recommend consulting your bariatric surgeons office about. Now having said that, everyone is different, I personally didn't have much pain following my surgery BUT my energy was low for several months (5-6 months) remember you will be on a significant reduced calorie change that your body isn't used to. Disney requires a lot of walking and I know I couldn't have done days at Disney walking that much only 4-5 weeks out. Again, everyone is different. Also, I was told NO travel for 3 months following my surgery: too much sitting on plane (blood clots), distance from surgeon if an emergency medical situation were to arise etc. So again ask your surgeons office. Sorry to not answer directly.

Hi, new here... I am in the final evaluations pre gastric sleeve... I have a paid journey to Disney June 1- june 6... 4-5 weeks post op is too soon for that? I'm 39, no diabetes or HTN... I'm traveling with my 5 yr old son, so I don't think I will use any big or dangerous roller coaster... I am from Puerto Rico

I’m actually doing pretty well considering. I only have six weeks left of infusions and I just got a scan back and it was good. Of course not everything shows up on the scan and my cancer is aggressive so I still have to do surgery and then radiation but the treatment is working!! And I genuinely feel like this surgery is what saved my life because the more I think about it 75 pounds heavier and I never would’ve felt that spot in the shower. Also, the mammogram machines are not designed for obese people so I think they were able to actually find it. It took three tries and they had to use an Also, the mammogram machines are not designed for obese people so I think they were able to actually find it. It took three tries and they had to finally use a special machine to find what I was feeling. And now, even still, my body is healthier and able to withstand these treatments. Not exactly what I was thinking about when I said I wanted to do the surgery to be healthier, but I guess it is a good thing.

So good to hear from you. Yea for me it was when there were “alot of fun things lately” a few times in a row that it started to be an issue. Just watch it that you’re still doing right like 90 percent of the time or whatever number works for you. It was about this time that I started gaining with my sleeve so I’m not trying to be a downer. Just as cautionary tale that about now when the hunger comes back and your feeling good is when it’s easy to get off track. You’re doing great staying in touch here and you will get to wonderland soon I’m sure. Just stay mindful that your not eating off plan too often. Trust me I know It’s easier said than done. I’m off plan way too often and I haven’t lost anything else when I should be losing for sure with the chemo increasing my metabolism. I’m actually scared I’m going to gain when I’m done in 6 weeks. At least the steroids will be done then which are what’s making me so darn hungry. I just gotta kick the carbs somehow and I don’t think I can start Wegovy until after surgery at least. Wish me luck.

I am not to goal yet but I can tell you that as long as I keep my protein high i seem to lose weight independent of actual calorie goal. I am 6 months out and am shooting for 130 grams of protein and somewhere around 1500 calories. Continuing to lose a couple lbs a week even though it’s not terribly linear lol.

Hi everyone! I have been a little MIA lately; things got busy. I am in a slump lately and haven't really lost any weight in a couple weeks. I know this is normal, but because we have had a lot of events and fun things lately, I also haven't been eating as healthy as I would like to... so really either could be the reason for my slump. I'm trying to stay optimistic and get back on track. I'm so close to FINALLY being under 200 lbs and I refuse to stop losing weight before I reach it! I hope all of you are doing well and I look forward to updating you guys when I have hit Onederland!

Just had revision to bypass due to stalling for a year and losing 8.5st but still not near target so wanted the bypass to finish my journey, lost 23lb so far and had the bypass 3 weeks ago, no hunger and can get all fluids in with no problem at all

I just had a sleeve to bypass 3 weeks ago 23lbs down so far.

@Judes76 this is on no way a small feat. I have Bipolar Depression and it took over a decade find the right meds just to get me into intensive therapy (IOP Program) and then bariatric surgery to really get my life back. The IOP program got me out of the house. It started with just one day I went to a crochet group that meets at the library. I had been locked inside my house for so many years I developed tremendous social anxiety and it’s was possibly the scariest thing I have ever done. It took me weeks to work up to it but I did it and it went well. The ladies weren’t caddy or judging me for anything. They were only there to talk about crochet and excited for me that I was learning. I have been at that group meeting every week since aside from being sick or something. I have added other craft groups as well to my agenda and now since surgery I also do group fitness classes at my community center. It’s is amazing to be out of the house and at these fitness groups. Sometimes the women will exchange text numbers if you want too so you can let them know as little or as much as you want but you can tell them you won’t be there if you want. In the past I wouldn’t want to exchange numbers with anyone because I was thinking ahead of the times when I would fall off the face of the Earth and I didn’t want to disappoint them but my therapist taught me that sometimes being accountable to others is enough to pull through a milder depression and it has worked for me. I didn’t share with them anything about my mental health in the beginning, but after about a year, I started slipping small hints and eventually told a couple of them about my mental health. They all know about my surgery and they are some of my biggest cheerleaders. That’s another thing I learned through therapy is that for me trying to do big things like that on my own and keeping the secret just doesn’t work. Everyone’s different but I strongly encourage you to get involved in something at your local library and look into fitness programs at the community center or the library if you want to continue having positive experiences outside of the house. The ones at my community center are very reasonable and we don’t have any at the library but we used to so you might and they should be free Congratulations on your HUGE steps so far and keep it going!! The endorphins from activity are amazing and my depression has lessened tremendously because of this. Also, consider an in person support group if you team has one and keep posting here. The good and the bad (if that comes up). Don’t be embarrassed as all of us have been there if you have an off week. Better to get it out in the open and figure a way to get back on track than to feel bad about it and let it spin out of control. There are so many people here eager to help. You’ve got this!! 💜

Aah, stalls. The eternal battle of weight loss. But yes, you can continue to experience stalls of varying lengths until you stop losing. Plus you’re getting close to your goal weight (or your new set point) so your rate of loss can slow right down to what seems like nothing - like measuring loss in ounces not pounds. The last 11kg I lost took about a year so less than a kilo (about a pound) a month on average but in those last months it was almost at a dead stop with fluctuations until it finally settled & didn’t change. Did you carry most of your weight in your abdominal area? If so, this might be why you are still carrying weight there as it is where you had the most to lose. Losing an inch off your thighs will look like you’ve lost more than losing an inch off your tummy because it is a larger area. But it wouldn’t hurt to speak with your doctor about possible build up of lymphatic fluid or lymphedema given your history.

I had a very similar experience about a week to 10 days post sleeve surgery! It was awful, never had anything like it previously in my life! I had some San Pellegrino laxative very effective, it took a few hours, but worked very well! Sweet relief!!

Hi all I am just over 4 weeks post op and today I got up and went for a walk!! This is huge for me as I have not gone for a walk in around 6 years! I suffer from depression and i live in my bedroom most days. But… I am starting to slowly come out of there and actually do stuff in other parts of my house! I know it may seem small but it is a massive win for me! Have a great day!

A content warning first... this post is about poop. I have been on the protein shake version of the LRD for 9 days, and while my... bowel had already slowed down today I suffered extremely painful constipation to a point I have never experienced before. I'm actually historically very regular, if anything I tend to have the opposite problem, so maybe I am more surprised by this than I should be. I was trying to... pass the really hard, dry, dark stool for hours, and there was bleeing involved at some point. I am wondering if anybody else has experienced this, and if they changed their LRD strategy because of it. I can't imagine this continuing for three weeks. I wanted to add that I am taking Rybelsus but I had tolerated it very well until now - however constipation is a known side effect so I thought it was worth adding. I have been on it since November, but my doctor increased my dose about the same time I started the LRD. I have contacted the coordinator for my surgery, but other than making sure I wasn't dehydrated I didn't really get much useful advice. Anybody had a similar experience?

Hey! Stalls are really common, and I think around this point in the post-op journey it does seem to hit! My weight loss has stopped at the moment, but my surgeon did say to me that a stall is only really considered a stall when you have been stuck at the same weight for around 6-8 weeks! just keep doing what you are supposed to be doing, eating well, keeping hydrated and getting some form of exercise in and hopefully it'll break soon ❤️

Hello everyone! Question on weight stall. I had my surgery in May of 2024. I have not lost weight quickly but steadily and I am down 63 lbs. I have seem to stall for months 9 and 10 and then all of a sudden I lost .80 lbs in the last week. Has anyone gotten to month 8-10 and stalled and then started losing weight again? I have another 30 to go and I am hoping this is not where my body is comfortable. Also I have lost significant weight all across my body but still have a belly and abdomen. Of course it is smaller than it was but it just seem anything has budged from there for the longest time. I do have lymphodema in my from breast cancer so I am hoping it is not a solidifying of any lymphatic fluid (I have the massage machine and do manual massages). So I am hope it is just being stubborn. Thank you for any comments and personal stories with your journey you have regarding this.

My pre-op diet was 12 weeks of milk with added skimmed milk powder, and one salty drink a day (broth) (This was the diet my doctor put me on as they are researching it, not some weird fad diet I'd heard about to be clear.) I lost quickly for the first 2 weeks, hit a plateau, gained weight, plateaued, jumped back down and repeat. It's not a straight path downwards, sadly. I did lose the required weight. If you stick with the programme, you will get there. The bus kind of drives it self in terms of where toi body wants to be at.

Sometimes you have to do things differently than other people or use some of other people ideas to help with the pre-surgery weight loss task goal. When I started, I drunk two meal replacement shakes that was high in protein (30mg) and for dinner I would eat a small portion for dinner. The amount I would eat for dinner was the amount you are supposed to eat after surgery. I even started drinking my water 30 mins before my meal and 30 mins after my meal. I actually have been keeping this going for the past four months and within the last two weeks I did the full on liquid diet that helped me reach my goal weight before surgery. I know some people talked with their provider and got on medication to help them lose their goal weight before surgery. It will be okay; you will get there.

Hi there! I am getting ready to have surgery on Tuesday. I am so excited and nervous all at the same time. I did a lot of preparing for this surgery. Three weeks ago, I did the liquid diet that you are supposed to do post op. I just wanted to get a feel of how it would be so I can prepare for what's to come. I started implementing the things that my dietitian and providers told me that I need to do to be successful post op. I stopped drinking all pop and carbonated beverages. I was buying all the things that was zero sugar added and sugar free. I have been drinking my protein shakes and clear protein drinks. I have been keeping up with my water intake and getting in as much exercise as I can. When I decided to go ahead a do the surgery I was weighing at 291 lbs. My task goal weight loss for surgery was set a 5lbs. I actually lost way more than that, I surpassed what they wanted me to lose. I am now 254lbs. I will probably have lost a little more by Tuesday. Starting tomorrow I have to be on clear liquids to prep for Tuesday. Just want to let you know you got this and you will do great. Just stay focus and motivated. I was the same way on edge and excited. Make sure you have a good support team too! This will help and make things feel so much better. It is good that you are nervous and excited! Way to go!!!!

This is a toughest part of the surgery . No person in the world [or so it seems] has the same pre op diet as you, so its difficult to equate. Some have dieted before hand and some like me had lots of food funerals. I did mine for 3 weeks and lost 15 pounds. You are going well. Call your team if you have been in a stall longer than you think you should. Doing this process you will get lots of baffling losses and plateaus. Its just your body wondering why you are not feeding it the same as before. It took me 2 years to loose my weight, be patient . Stick rigidly to your teams regimen. Your liver will tell them if you have cheated or not. They won't operate if your liver is fatty. It makes it fragile to move away from the surgery site.