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I looked at my journal from my 6th month time. My weight loss slowed significantly. I kept loosing but I was lucky if it was 4 lbs every other month. Stalls and plateaus were more common than actual WL. I just kept to my original plan and weight kept coming off even past the 2year mark. Instead of my scale obsession, I started measuring inches/centimeters and thrifting highly structured clothing made out of thick denim and leather to see my progress. A stiff pair of jeans with no stretch can show true WL because they get too big. I find they keep me honest with myself in maintenance too ; j

Hey all, Yes I have a thyroid problem and the doctors already know. I've been on thyroid medication since 2016. The team did blood work and said it was a little high but not enough to change my dosage. She saw my hair and she recommended taking a collagen supplement. I like the taste of the Spring Valley collagen + Biotin sugar free liquid supplement (sorry I didn't mention it was a liquid or that it was together). I'm also 7 months post op. The hair shedding has slowed down a lot at this point. I really do feel a difference in my hair. It feels softer. I've always had fine hair. It's just since I had surgery, it looks super thin on the top of my head on the left side of my part and only really can be seen if I put my hair up in a bun or pony. Makes me feel a little self conscious. But I do know it'll go back to normal eventually or at least I hope lol. I want to start using the vital proteins collagen powder. And get a new protein powder. Have one of each per day. I definitely lack protein and I know that's a huge factor. For the past few months it's been difficult deciding on what to eat with protein that isn't eggs. I have found a pancake mix with 15g of protein in it and it's actually the best protein pancake mix I've found, but I don't want pancakes every day. I get sick of things quick now since I've had the surgery.

Well you are being such a trooper I’ll tell you. I hope you get it worked out real soon. Probably stuff you already know about the low carb if you’ve had a sensitivity to gluten. I just going to say that I learned that fajitas and Italian sausage witb peppers and onions which I like both (minus the rice of course) are relatively low carb. And cauli rice isn’t bad as long as it’s mixed in something witb flavor. Night before last I learned that crustless quiche is super easy to make and In the muffin tin it’s perfect little portions. Last night I made a low carb Italian bake that was Italian sausage with spinach and cheeses (the recipe called for mushrooms but I substituted onions). That one I’m not sure about the fat though. It wasn’t listed but for 6 servings it has two cups of mozz cheese, a quarter cup Parmesan and 16 oz of ricotta. I’m waiting to hear from my surgeon what my post op fat requirements will be and I need to work that out and see if it’s on plan. That recipe worked out to 373 calories but I didn’t calculate the fat before I tossed all the packages. Tonight I had leftovers of the Italian bake that is probably too fatty and I baked instead of cooking . I made low carb banana muffins that another poster shared with me and they are pretty yummy. They use almond flour and allulose to cut the carbs. They are surprisingly tasty. Basically I am not really a big cook and I did not experiment with healthy dishes last time around. I Just tried to commit to eating like you have to now (meat and veggies) but for life and I couldn’t do it. I got board and I found things that were within the allowed calories while the portions were small but once I could eat more they actually added up too fast. This time I’m just trying ti find at least A handful of things that are actually tasty to me that will work when I finally get back to regular foods. Something to look forward to while I’m in the weight loss stage. And it’s kinda weird but I’m not hating the cooking as much as I used to. It’s kinda like knowing that it’s actually something good for my body makes it a little less of a chore to me.

If you follow your plan, you won’t put on weight. You are consuming so few calories & even when you progress to purées, soft food & then solid food, you’ll still be eating so few calories & such tiny portions, that again you won’t put on weight. Not consuming calories, not meeting your protein goals (or at least being close to it) will actually be doing you more harm. Affecting your recovery & healing, putting your body into starvation mode, being nutrient deficit, etc. These will impede your long term health & weight loss. May be get in touch with your team & ask if you could see a therapist to work through this fear of eating. You don’t want to swap one set of poor eating habits with another & create new health issues. Trust the program. It works.

I was very nervous for the same reasons. I started a modified bariatric diet a few months before surgery as part of the preparation, also stopped any caffeine or sugar. I have gastroparesis so eating before strenuous activity is never a good idea for me but I would feel so nauseous and lightheaded. After I started the bariatric diet I realized that even if I was hungry when I started my lap swim, I could still do a normal work out and feel good. The diet allowed me to maintain a consistent level of energy that I had never experienced before in my life. The 2 week liquid diet was not my favorite, days 2 and 3 were the worst for me, day 4 was better until the day of surgery. I didn't like it, but I still was able to exercise daily. I had one episode of woozy..reviewed with my nutritionist and found I was not getting enough sodium, added a daily broth and that took care of it. I know we're all different but this may be same for you and if it is, I'll be happy for you. I feel so much more free now. I don't have to worry about scheduling activities around food/hunger/etc anymore. I can plan my eating around my activities, if that makes sense?

Hello ALL! Oh my gosh! Finally got approved it was a long ass journey! Is their any Texas peeps getting surgery in April?! In a way I'm mad I couldn't get disciplined enough to do it on my own, the other half is like take my whole stomach away 😂😂. I have type two diabetes and fatty liver, this is only a tool! I have to get this weight off!!! I can say Ozempic has had that sleeve feeling effect I can barely eat. It's a great drug and has aided in some of my weight loss pre surgery. starting weight: 290 we shall see look forward to hearing from you all

You are doing great! Also keep in mind that in the "second half" of the excess weight loss, the scale becomes less important. If you are exercising, you can expect the muscle gain to offset the number on the scale significantly, as it weights more than fat. You'll need to focus more on the "non scale victories" like smaller clothing sizes, increased strength, stamina, and other health improvements, not just the weight on the scale alone. Keep up the good work!

My friend has NOT had any weight loss surgery.

Yeah, you should have been given either macro goals, or a calorie goal, or ideally, both with the sleeve surgery. It isn't odd to not be able to digest heavy carbs like noodles, pasta, breads, and rice. And they really aren't the best things to be eating in the weight loss phase anyway. Pork can be quite dense, my stomach doesn't like it too much and it hates chicken breast. LOL When you eat things that your stomach is fine with, do you keep it down easily or does it cause vomiting and nausea? If you drink fluids other than water (like milk or a protein shake), does it cause the spitting, or is it just with plain water?

I went through this too. It pushed my journey back many months and I was so disappointed. I am using this time to work more on myself mentally and do my PT excersizes. Also maybe talk to your primary care or bariatric team about starting phentermine or another appetite suppressant to kickstart your weight loss while you wait

My surgery was Sept 1. I am still learning thru trial and error but what seems to work is the time you start and the choices. So I start at 8am with either a 30g protein shake. I snack on anything with high protein. Ex: tuna packs, nuts, protein Quest cheddar crackers, a cup of decaf coffee and add protein powder too it or even grab another protein shake. That's 60g protein and your midway for those times where you may not want nothing for the moment. I also realized for much protein is in chicken, salmon, ground beef, etc. Also recently I just purchased some lactaid protein milk that comes in handy when you just don't feel like chewing on anything. 80z cup is 13g protein. I am literally still learning but I am realizing protein is essential, especially with hair loss[emoji4]. At times too I will grab some electrolytes, sugar free Gatorade or Propel. You got this and groups like this and other pages help me Alot as well. Ps. Vitamins are key as well. My legs were cramping so I would grab a Gatorade and made sure I was staying in top of my vitamins Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

The doctor told me i’m supposed to take it on an empty stomach, it just has this awful taste and my body just doesn’t wanna swallow it, but Thank you about calming me down with the gurgling.

How do you figure out what style the specialize in? I am about 2 hours below the OP, in SC but close to Charlotte and getting quoted high craziness... What kind of things did you ask or look for when researching surgeons?

Would I be right in thinking your nutritionalist is recommending a keto like diet? They are big on no root vegetables & no corn, peas because of their naturally high sugar content. (Potatoes are often a no because they are considered a starch.) I regularly ate carrot & sugar snap peas. I threw frozen corn & peas into soups, mince dishes, some slow cooked dishes, omelettes, etc, I usually just microwave my vegetables with a splash of water & a dab of butter but also will stir fry & occasionally roast (especially cauliflower with a little hummus & zataar to serve). I love vegetables & enjoy them best simply with salt & pepper but don’t be afraid to try herbs & spices. The only vegetables I don’t eat is potato, sweet potato & pumpkin (they tend to sit heavily) except a very small piece (bite or two) with a roast dinner. My thoughts were & are vegetables are vegetables (except potato). They are highly nutritious (all those vitamins, minerals & fibre) so a valuable addition to our food choices. And the little we eat, especially in the first months will have minimal impact on your calorie intake & weight loss. I mean 1/4 cup peas is 30 calories if you can eat that much. Plus the ‘sweet’ vegetables are naturally sweet so they don’t count towards your sugar intake. Certainly didn’t affect my weight loss or maintenance. I say eat your vegetables, just watch portion size & what you serve or add to them. Like no honey glazed carrots, sour cream or cheese sauces at least for a while.

First off, congratulations on the weight you’ve lost so far! You should be proud. I am about seven months past surgery and I’ve hit my goal. As others have said, weight loss is very slow. I’ve only drifted down a pound or two in the last 2 to 3 weeks. It’s important to realize that you are still losing weight, so you are still working towards your goal. Some things you can do is take a look at how clean are your calories? Are you eating good, healthy food? Eating right keeps your body in-tune in all areas…keeps all the systems working harmoniously. Makes you feel good and keeps your MIND on track. Another thing you can do is look at your exercise. Keeping muscle is important as it burns the fat and cardio will help you in your daily calorie reduction. It doesn’t take much to energize your body to help burn even more calories. And above all else remember, slow loss is still a loss!!

40 down, 10 more to go... took about 9 months to get this far, so am projecting i should have the min amount im looking for in about 2.5 more months... but the more the better 🤞🏼 1. Basics: GENDER, AGE, HEIGHT 2. Total Weight lost in the 6 months BEFORE surgery (if any) 3. Weight on DAY OF SURGERY. 4. Weight at 1 MONTH POST surgery 5. Weight at 3 MONTHs POST surgery 6. Weight at 6 MONTHs POST surgery 7. Weight at 12 MONTHs POST surgery 8. Type of Surgery (Sleeve, ByPass, etc...)

Yeah, I wondered because my dietician gave me this same goal at my 4 week post-op appointment. She recommended 80g protein and that for now, protein should be about 40% of my calories, which means a goal of 800 calories per day. But she definitely said the goal would be shifting over time. I have an appointment with her next Wednesday and I'm curious what she'll say about my targets now that I'll be almost at the 3-month mark. For what it's worth, I've only lost 22lbs since surgery, so mine has been really slow going. If I hear anything interesting from my dietician next week, I'll let you know.

Hello. My wife started going to the gym about a month and a half ago and says that jumping on a mini trampoline helps her the most.

Takeaway >>> Cooking 😂 But unfortunately it's too pricey to order in every meal Shrimp tacos with cucumber salad (cucumbers eaten after about a 30 minute break)

A final update for this thread: I had my gastric bypass on Feb 21! Check in went smoothly. I changed into my hospital gown, got my IV inserted, and was given a number of medications to take before being moved to a waiting area where I got onto a gurney. The various members of the surgery team came by to introduce themselves and check on various things. Finally, the anesthesiologist came by and gave me "something to relax" via my IV port. A minute later, I was being wheeled into the hallway, and that's the last thing I remember until waking up in my hospital room. I never saw the inside of the OR, and I have no memory of the recovery area afterward, either. The surgery itself took much longer than anticipated, about 6 hours. I was fine and safe the whole time, but the surgeon ran into some issues with my small intestine and a small abdominal mass (sent to pathology and was benign) that required additional steps. Because of this, I was surprised to wake up in my hospital room and discover it was already 9pm when my surgery began at 1pm! My poor mom had been so worried because we thought it would take maybe 3 hours max. The nurses checked on me several times that night. I was able to get up to use the toilet on my own, and the only real challenge was the IV pole having to be dragged along. I was very fortunate that I ended up with no roommate. It wasn't technically a private room, but no one else was assigned to it while I was there. In the morning, my surgeon came by and explained what had happened during surgery. He was concerned because some of the stitches ended up under more pressure than he considered optimal, so he wanted me to do a swallow test before I could have anything by mouth, including water. They got me in for that and it turned out okay, so about an hour after returning to my room, I was brought a bottle of water and a cup of red sugar free jello. I have to say, it was nice to have water because my throat was dry, but I really didn't care about eating. I did because they told me to, and I know at this point I hadn't had a single thing in my belly for over 40 hours, but I just didn't care. I felt zero hunger. But I at the jello, and later they brought me a popsicle, another jello, and a chicken broth. I ate it all over the course of about an hour. It was fine, but again, I just ate it because they told me to. Because I got such a late start on fluids after surgery, they kept me an additional night, just to be sure. But on Friday morning around 9am, I was discharged. I had a protein shake when I got home and worked all day on fluids. I was tired and a little sore, but my pain had been minimal enough that I was only on Tylenol. It worked well enough that I only had a few moments of real pain, mostly when shifting position that required the use of abdominal muscles. I was fortunate to have someone staying with me for the first few nights home, and my parents kept my kids (ages 12 and 15) with them for the first week so I wouldn't have to worry about all their activities and food. It took a few days to discover what worked best for me, which ended up being hot tea (decaf and herbal) instead of flavored waters as I'd been having pre-op. For the first week, I've met my 64oz fluid and 60g protein goals most days, but as time has gone on, I've become completely turned off anything with artificial sweetener and every protein shake except Syntrax Nectar Natural, which I can still manage. I definitely wasted a lot of money on shakes I won't be drinking, but I'm glad I had them for the 2 week pre-op diet and to take the pressure off finding things to try when I got home. Yesterday, I was allowed to start soft protein foods. So far, I've had tuna salad (2 Tbsp), refried beans with a sprinkle of melted cheese (1/4 cup), and 1 poached egg. No issues with anything so far. Tonight I will be cooking some haddock with pesto for dinner. I go in for my 2 week post-op appointment with my surgeon next Tuesday and hope by then my weight will be a little lower. I lost 15 lbs on the 2 week pre-op diet, but my weight was higher by about 5lbs when I got home from the hospital thanks to the fluids and swelling, and I'm only just back to where I was the day I went to the hospital. Still, 15lbs in three weeks isn't bad. As for other incidentals, I have been taking Benefiber daily in my morning tea and it really has helped. I had the first BM (very loose and not a lot) before leaving the hospital on day 2, and have managed to go at least every other day since, and daily the last couple of days, so I'm very grateful for that. My energy levels have been decent, but it's only today that I feel like I don't need a noon nap. Going without caffeine has been a struggle, but I'm getting used to it. After all the wait, I'm so glad to have this behind me and be able to focus on a healthy future!

Yea sometimes it’s the way they dissolve. There was something about tablets that have a special coating on them too that I vaguely remember reading about. I did this research three years ago before I had the sleeve because I am on meds too. People definitely do have issues with certain types of meds commonly and then a much smaller percent have issues with other types of meds that are fine for most people. I guess it’s kind of like the small percentage that have more issues getting enough vitamins no matter what they try. You will Just need to keep working with your doctor until they will figure it out. In the meantime just try to remember that it is just a medication issue and you will feel more like yourself soon. 💜

TBH, this gives me hope. My surgery is in two days (March 28), and I've been trying my best not to stress out about it. Hope your recovery continues to go smoothly!

Raw veg still fills me up very quickly and stays a long time in my stomach. Especially carrots. I do like a salad though so I eat half and about 3 hours later I can finish it.

well, i *thought* i was in menopause before I had my surgery (i hadn't had period in about 1-2 years). a few weeks after surgery i got my period and it came like clockwork every month for the next 2-3 years (i guess it wasn't menopause and i was just fat? or maybe the estrogen release from my diminishing fat stores that re-activated my period? i dunno.) Anyway, a couple years ago when i was at maybe 3 years post op, my period disappeared again, and i haven't had it since (except for a singe errant period when i was on vacaiton of all places last year). im 5+ years post op now and i guess to answer your question i was both perimenopausal and menopausal AND post-menopausal before, during and after the entire experience. i don't know if being in that state affected my weight loss in any way as i have nothing to compare to, but i can tell you i reached goal by 7 months post op (lost 108 lbs by goal date) and was down a total of 126 lbs by 1 year post op (i was 235 lbs 2 wks before surgery). like i said above, i'm 5+ years post op now and am still down 120-ish lbs today.

My surgery was Sept 1. I am still learning thru trial and error but what seems to work is the time you start and the choices. So I start at 8am with either a 30g protein shake. I snack on anything with high protein. Ex: tuna packs, nuts, protein Quest cheddar crackers, a cup of decaf coffee and add protein powder too it or even grab another protein shake. That's 60g protein and your midway for those times where you may not want nothing for the moment. I also realized for much protein is in chicken, salmon, ground beef, etc. Also recently I just purchased some lactaid protein milk that comes in handy when you just don't feel like chewing on anything. 80z cup is 13g protein. I am literally still learning but I am realizing protein is essential, especially with hair loss[emoji4]. At times too I will grab some electrolytes, sugar free Gatorade or Propel. You got this and groups like this and other pages help me Alot as well. Ps. Vitamins are key as well. My legs were cramping so I would grab a Gatorade and made sure I was staying in top of my vitamins Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app