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I'll be honest. I'm skeptical of this, but before we get into that, I think you may need to clarify something? You stated that you have: This would be highly unusual, since lipoedema is normally seen over the entirety of the legs, but is typically most pronounced in the buttocks & thigh area. Have you actually been diagnosed by a physician? If it's just your calves, it would be a lot more likely for this to actually be muscle, not fat. It's extremely common for formerly obese people to have larger than normal calf muscles. This is so because basically you've spent your life doing heavy calf exercises daily just by walking around with all that extra weight. If this is the issue, your options may be somewhat limited. Eventually, with targeted diet and exercise, your calves may shrink, but it won't happen quickly. Another fairly common cause would be another type of edema such as lymphedema. Edema is common in obese people, but lymphedema specifically often goes undiagnosed. Unfortunately for some people, losing weight may not fix the problem. Bottom line, if you have not already done so, I would strongly encourage you to talk with a doctor about your concerns so you can get an accurate diagnosis. Now for my thoughts on hypoxi and the reasons I'm concerned: The basic principle here goes against our current understanding of how fat loss works. The only study linked on their website doesn't actually show ANY increase in fat loss. All it shows is a reduction in size of the "treated" area. This is a HUGE red flag. If the subjects didn't lose additional weight, even in the main study they link on the site, then what caused the size reductions? The most plausible answer is that this was simply fluid loss and thus extremely temporary. The study linked does not appear to have ever been published in a peer reviewed journal of any kind. This is another huge red flag. The fact that no one else has made similar devices seems odd? If the science were sound and the results reasonable, then copycats should be everywhere. Quality medical devices simply don't exist in a vacuum. It's also a bit sketchy to me that these devices can only be found in their "studios" and nowhere else. They seem to want to tightly control things, which seems odd if this really works as well as they claim? Why not sell them to health clubs, rehab facilities, etc? Best of luck whatever you decide.

The BariatricPal Store carries a huge selection of Bariatric-friendly Protein drinks at https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/protein-powders. Here are some popular options: * Inspire Protein Powders by Bariatric Eating: These are my personal fave and can be found at https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/inspire-protein * BariatricPal Protein ONE: MultiVitamin, Calcium, Iron, Fiber & Meal Replacement from https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/protein-powders/brand_bariatricpal * Syntrax Nectar Protein Powder Sampler Variety Bag - All 17 Flavors! from https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/protein-powders/products/syntrax-nectar-protein-powder-sampler-variety-bag-all-17-flavors * GENEPRO Medical Grade Unflavored Protein Powder - 3rd Generation! from https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/genepro/products/genepro-medical-grade-unflavored-protein-powder-3rd-generation * Bariatric Advantage HPMR High Protein Meal Replacement - Available in 8 Flavors! from https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/protein-powders/products/bariatric-advantage-high-protein-meal-replacement * Protein tubs from https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/protein-powder-tubs * Protein Smoothies from https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/smoothies * Hot Protein Drinks & Soups are great alternatives to protein shakes: * Hot Protein Drinks: https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/hot-protein-drinks * Hot Protein Soups: https://store.bariatricpal.com/collections/soups-bouillons-broths

I live in the UK, so what you cam get over there may be different, but I like Myprotein. My favourite is to add the salted caramel flavour with some cinnamon to some oatmeal. But I also really like their chocolate mint and I add that or some of the cookie dough flavour to some milk when I want something a little sweet. I would also say get a good blender. I've done the protein shaker bottles and they just never blend in. I end up with milk and a lump of powder in the mixer part.

Clean Simple Eats is really good. You can get the variety pack- adding them into Greek yogurt helps because that tang balances out the sweetness in my opinion. Isopure is great and very low carb, Premier protein is good. Latte one with decaf coffee makes an excellent cold brew. Making shakes and adding them are "ok" just have to be careful they can end up being high in calories and not super filling. You can do unsweetened almond milk, scoop of powder, 1/4 of banana, 1/4C of Greek yogurt, handful of spinach if you wanted to keep is low cal, and high protein. But are you trying to protein shakes/ powders due to the stage you are in your journey? I am 16months post op and am able to get all my protein from food. (I am able to eat probably more food than the average post op patient)

Just adding to my accountability post! Had a reality check recently. As I was going over food log I noticed that I was letting too much processed stuff creep into my routine – protein bars, powders, low-carb bread, cookies (not just 1) fast food (small amounts but still) – and my gut wasn’t having it. I had to get honest with myself about what I was actually eating. So, I hit the reset button and went back to whole, real foods. I even started making my own sourdough again, and let me tell you, the bloat is basically gone, my energy is up, and that annoying food noise is finally quieting down. The scale is moving down, but more importantly, I just feel so much better!

Hey everyone! I had my surgery on the 9th! Everything went really well, I’m still a little sore, but it gets easier every day. The biggest challenge has been the protein shakes, while they were good at first, I have begun to have a dislike for them. Tomorrow is mashed potatoes, soups, and creamy peanut butter! Looking forward to that immensely. So far I haven’t experienced any nausea or vomiting. I already feel a change in my weight I’ve lost 25 lbs between my preop and post op diet. Once I start working out the weight should fall off. Thanks to everyone who greeted me and sent their well wishes!

I feel you on the going backwards thing, honestly, I'm at a point where I'm like, I should just start selling feet pics haha, kidding I will work on rewriting my budget and not buy as many protein drinks, the money for the drinks will be used for more solid pick, my friend has a Costco membership, and said she'd take me, I can buy some frozen foods in bulk to keep frozen for easy meals, I will see what recipes I can do and hopefully after a few weeks, I will be in a much better spot, thanks for the food ideas

Yes, eggs are pretty pricey, I have decided to rework my budget this weekend, I know I can make it work if I do some changes, I will try not to rely on the protein drinks too much and hopefully with a few reworks, I can get more solid foods in me

Thank you for your concern, I actually am set with vitamin for the next 6 months, so I will plan their budget when I start running out on the supply, I unfortunately have seen the affects of not taking vitamins has done to people so I don't want to let it get to that point. I will use this weekend to work on my budget again, if I don't rely on the protein drinks, then I can use the money from the drinks to buy more slid foods, I may need to rework my schedule too, get up 30 mins earlier if it means getting a solid breakfast perhaps, I will probably take a hot minute before I can get a new routine, but I will try to make it work

Thanks for the information. I'm a Gym Rat, but my surgeon told me I had to wait 6 weeks before I go back to swimming and cycling, and I have a personal trainer working with me on strength training so I lift weights well. I'm getting in over 80 grams of protein with my protein water and doing a lot of walking and only 3 days post op now. It has been a wild ride so far, and the surgeon called me last night to see how I was doing and checking my glucose numbers and pain...that was a shocker, who does that? My surgeon does!! He is a people person, that's way cool! Anyway, thanks again for your support, and everyone's support. I'm starting my new life happy.

I never had any on surgeons orders. I drank full skim milk and if I wanted a flavour added PB2 powder, banana, berries or a few spoons of protein yogurt. Super easy on the pocket too.

Unfortunately so many are struggling financially these days all over the world. Cost of living is skyrocketing everywhere & we have to do what we can to survive. I swear I go backwards every week. I am with @SpartanMaker in regards to meal prepping ahead. I love my freezer & my microwave. My freezer is filled with food I have cooked and frozen in single serve portions. I did this from early out from surgery. At most all I have to do is reheat the meal and zap some vegetables or make a quick salad. I can have a nutritiously cooked meal in 5 minutes or so. Easy peasy. As most workplaces have a microwave, grab a meal from the freezer & reheat it at work for lunch. For example pre cook some chicken tenders and freeze, then in the morning grab the chicken tender and pop it in a container with a few cherry tomatoes, some lettuce leaves, a few slices of cucumber, … done. I loved mince dishes because you can add lots of vegetables: meat balls, savoury mince, taco filling, etc. so you can eat as a complete meal or add to a taco shell or wrap if you want/can. And soup is great too for the same reason (protein & vegetables in one). And yes home cooked foods are often less expensive. For example I made pea & ham soup last weekend. I made around 18 portions (I wasn’t interning to make that much but 🤷🏻‍♀️) and it cost me $18.80 Aust (split peas, frozen peas, pearl barley, an onion and a ham hock) so about a $1 a serve.

I applaud you for working hard to make ends meet. You can only do so much in your situation, so you may not have a ton of choices, but I too am somewhat concerned about the quality of your diet. Protein shakes are not a bad choice sometimes, but you do seem to be relying on them more than you ideally should. Leaning on shakes so much, I'm specifically concerned about whether or not you're getting enough essential fats in your diet and if you are meeting your basic vitamin and mineral needs. I do hope you're taking a vitamin supplement? I know when things are tight, things like vitamins can be one of the first things to go. If you're not taking a vitamin, I'd encourage you to try to find a way to fit them into the budget since your current diet is so lacking. While a bariatric vitamin would be best, if that's just not in the budget, even a regular drug store vitamin would be better than nothing. An alternative might be to see if you can find meal replacement shakes that fit your budget instead of so many plain protein shakes. My experience is that protein shakes can be more expensive than regular food. I know time is also an issue for you, but If you could find the time on the weekends to meal prep two meals a day instead of one, that might help a lot. Alternately, are there some real food options you could consider for breakfast?

As far as powders are concerned, isopure would be my favorite. I don't really love any of them tbh for many of the reasons @WendyJane mentioned. The one place I do use the isopure is in smoothies. I find it works well there when mixed with fruit, so that's probably my goto post-workout drink. In terms of protein shakes, my favorites are probably any of the Fairlife brand drinks. I don't really use them very much anymore, but when I do need some extra protein and want it in liquid form, I do prefer the taste of Fairlife vs. others like premier protein. I also use Fairlife milk in place of regular to get a bit of an extra protein boost in my coffee, recipes, etc.

I personally do not like the protein powders, they just don't mix well enough for me to enjoy them, they are gritty and not smooth, but that may be me because I can't shake them well enough I do have Unjury protein powder and clear isoprotein to add to my soft foods. I will use them now and again, but mostly I use the Premier Protein shakes, they have a variety of flavors and 30 grams of protein. I also have Protein20 which is a clear protein and the flavors are not great but I use them to take my meds since they must be crushed or opened capsules, they taste nasty, the Protein water has 15 grams of protein, and I mix my Benefiber in there, and take my meds with them, and count it as being part of my medication regimen. Maybe others have ideas? My urge to you is to try whatever you can, I did. It is expensive to do all the tries but everyone's taste is different, and sometimes you just have to "suffer through it" until the stuff is used up. I only bought 4 shakes at a time, and my drinks, it was hit and miss, and I hit on the protein tea, but missed on the protein 02 that I use for my meds. I have tried my Unjury Chocolate with water and with Fairlife milk and both ways tastes gritty to me. I prefer the pre-made protein shakes over the powders. Good luck, when is your surgery day?

I need recommendations for the best tasting protein powders and drinks. I do not like the taste of artificial sweeteners, but recognize I'll have to get used to those. I guess I want to hear from you, because there aren't good sample sized packages to try out new stuff. It's usually a $35 or more investment, and if I hate something, that's a lot of money to waste. Everyone is recommending Fairlife, and they're fine. They don't make me gag or anything, but they're not my favorite. I've never had a protein powder or protein drink that I liked. What do you think? If there isn't something just off the shelf, what types of recipes have you used? Does unflavored protein powder really have no flavor? What do you mix it with to make it palatable? Thank you!

hank you both so much — I honestly do know the rules and I really am trying to trust the process. But I just have this lingering question I need to ask — maybe for peace of mind more than anything. If I’m doing everything I can — eating clean, prioritizing protein, tracking, moving my body, staying consistent — will I definitely reach my goal weight eventually? And also… is regain really that easy? I hear people talk about it a lot and it scares me. Is it actually hard to regain weight after bypass if you stay mindful, or is it something that creeps up even if you're doing your best? I know everyone's different, but I'd love to hear some honest thoughts from those who’ve lived through it.

Thank you again — this was packed with great insight and exactly what I needed to hear. I feel better knowing that my current protein intake (100–115g) is actually within the clinical guidelines. I’ll definitely bring up that 1.2g/kg recommendation with my nutritionist on the 20th and get their take as well — I want to be sure I’m not compromising my health by lowering it too much. And yes — I completely agree about focusing on fat loss over just scale weight. I love how I’m looking now, and my goal is to tighten, tone, and keep my muscle rather than just see a lower number. I’m not aiming to bulk or build new muscle right now — just to hold on to what I have and keep my body strong through strength training. Also, your point about essential fats and nutrient-rich carbs like fruits/veggies really helped. I do eat clean and home-cooked, so I’ll make sure I’m not over-restricting in the wrong areas. This has honestly helped me refocus — I’m grateful 🙏

I’ve been here for 6 years now and I’ve see a variety of protein goal recommendations so I don’t believe there is a right number or a wrong number only what you & your team thinks is best for you. For example I was told 60g was my goal from the beginning. Certainly in the first months when we’re healing and not eating large portions focussing on protein is very important. Now at 9 months, you’re eating more and a greater variety of foods ensuring you’re getting in a balance of all your nutrients is just as important like @spartanmaker mentioned. Maybe this is why your dietician has reduced your protein goal or did they mean 65g is more a minimum goal??? As for should you count calories or other macros, my feeling is you have to do what you feel most comfortable with. Another case of you doing what is best for you & much like what you said about exercising. Focussing on counting calories messes with me so I’ve always done just random checks of calories & portions. I probably was & still am more concerned with specific food choices and ensuring I was consuming some complex carbs, fruit and vegetables every day, reducing added sugars. Though I know others who value the accountability of calorie and macro counting and feel doing so keeps them on track - what’s best for them. @SpartanMaker has given you some fabulous information for you to consider &/or adopt or for more rigorous conversations with your team.

Usually people experience their first stall at around the 3 week mark +/- and they can last 1-3 weeks. However this isn’t a hard and fast rule. There are some who experience small stalls of only a few days. I was one who wouldn’t see any loss on the scales for only a handful of days and then would drop again. I noticed this simply because I weighed myself daily and recorded my loss. As you weigh once a week you may have missed a brief plateau at around that three week mark and you are having a larger more average length stall now. Your friends may not have noticed stalls if they weighed once a week or less frequently. The only thing you can rely on is regardless of how often you stall or how long there last they will break. Just stick to your plan & everything will be fine when your body is ready to start losing again. Is there a reason you are only eating one real meal a day and your other meals are shakes? At almost three months post surgery most of your nutrients should be coming from real food not shakes. A shake should only be to supplement your protein intake or as an occasional convenient meal alternative (work commitments, travel, etc.). I also wonder if that could impact your weight loss and the length of your plateau. Personally I never had another shake after the first 2 week liquid stage & was eating real food meals from week 3 post surgery. By around week 8 I was eating all meats (fish, beef, chicken, pork, lamb) & 1 or 2 vegetables for lunch and dinner and eggs or oatmeal for breakfast. This is when you should be introducing better food choices and eating habits for the long term. This would be worth a conversation with your dietician & surgeon.

Hello, I had my surgery back on 2/20, so I'm a little less than 3 months post op, so far I have lost a little over 50lbs(yay), I was just wondering, how soon do people start hitting a stall? I weigh myself weekly and for the last 3 weeks I have been at 266, I wasn't sure if this was too soon I've had friends and coworkers who's also done the surgery and they said they didn't start hitting a plateau until almost a year in My diet consist of a protein drink for breakfast, a snack around 10:30, usually a babybel or a sugar free jerky stick, lunch would either be chicken or fish with cactus, another snack around 3pm and when I get home (6pm) I do another protein drink, on days I have to work my 2nd job and get home after 10pm, I add a 3rd protein drink Work out, I still do my hour walk, unless I work my 2nd job, then it's only a 30 min walk during my lunch hour at my 1st job That has been my schedule for the last month in a half, so I wasn't sure if I need to modify anything or maybe increase my walking, any suggestions would be appreciated

Again, If what you're doing is working, then I don't see anything that needs changing. If you're in the range of 100-115 grams per day, then you're already eating what I'd call protein forward diet and about where I'd typically recommend for most people. Keep in mind what I mentioned, calories are king. You only lose weight when you eat fewer calories than you burn. Thus if you did want to add more protein, you'd have to do so at the expense of other nutrients. When eating as few calories as you are right now, dropping any more on carbs & fat could have negative effects on health. It's important to get sufficient essential fatty acids since your body can't make these (that's why there called "essential". Technically you can live without carbs since your body can manufacture glycogen from fats and protein, but the problem is that if you reduce these even further, you're going to also have to reduce your intake of fruits and veggies and these convey a lot of other benefits to you nutritionally. Here's what I'd ask your nutritionist about. The most up to date clinical practice guidelines from AACE/TOS/ASMBS/OMA/ASA say to focus on protein intake of 1.2g/kg of bodyweight. https://www.soard.org/article/S1550-7289(08)00163-9/fulltext I recognize that you are not from the USA, but I dare say these organizations have a significant level of money and experience going into these recommendations since obesity is rampant in the USA. For what it's worth, some recent data I saw showed that the USA does far more bariatric surgeries than any other country. In fact, it was roughly the same number of bariatric surgeries as the next 10 countries combined. An impressive but sad statistic. Protein is highly satiating compared to carbs & fats, plus protein takes longer to digest, meaning you'll be full longer. Being full longer equals less cravings and better dietary compliance. Protein has a small but meaningful effect on overall energy balance because on average, for every 100 calories of protein you eat, you burn about 20 calories just to digest it. This is way more than carbs or fats which range from 0 to 3 for fats and 5 or 10 for carbs depending of fiber content. This means the more protein you eat, the better your overall energy balance compared to eating the exact same calorie amount of other foods. Granted, this isn't a lot, but it all adds up. Higher levels of dietary protein help you preserve more muscle mass as you lose weight. (It helps prevent muscle catabolism which is a real risk when eating a very low calorie diet.) Because muscle is more metabolically active than fat, the more muscle mass you preserve as you lose weight, the more calories you'll burn, even at rest. Studies suggest anything above about 1.2g/kg (95% CI), is sufficient for most people to stave off catabolism, which is probably where the dietary guidelines linked above came from. You mentioned something about body recomposition, so I want to touch on that briefly. I LOVE the idea, but you need to understand it's extremely hard (bordering on impossible), to add muscle mass while on a very low calorie diet like you're eating right now. For most people, you actually need to be eating a significant surplus to add muscle mass, so I honestly wouldn't even try until you get closer to your goal weight. If you do decide to add mass, then yes, higher protein amounts than what you're eating now would be recommended (Roughly 2g - 2.5g per kg of bodyweight). This also would require a dedicated hypertrophy training plan though, and that's a bit out of scope for our discussion here. Best of luck.

Thank you so much for this detailed reply — I truly appreciate the time and care you put into it. It really helped ease some of the anxiety I’ve been carrying. You’re right, I’m losing around 1kg a month and logically I know that’s great… but emotionally I keep feeling like I should be doing more. So reading that I’m exactly where I should be was super reassuring. I also loved what you said about exercise — I know it’s not the biggest driver of weight loss, but for me, it plays a huge role in how I feel. I actually want to focus more on losing fat and toning up now, not just dropping scale weight. I’m starting to realize that body composition matters more than the number. As for protein, yeah — I was surprised when my dietitian suggested lowering it to 65g. I’ve been aiming for 100–115g all along. I have another appointment on the 20th, so I’ll definitely bring this up again and see what’s behind that recommendation. Right now, I’m not using apps like MyFitnessPal. I track my food using ChatGPT (kind of like a food journal), and I weigh things in grams to stay accurate. But I’m a bit unsure how to move forward — like, should I only track protein and not worry too much about calories? Or try to follow macros more closely? I do eat clean, mostly home-cooked meals, but I also have occasional snacks and off-plan moments (nothing crazy, just not perfect). I know I need to tighten things up again, especially with workouts — I’ve been slacking a bit lately. Again, thank you for the perspective and advice. It means a lot to hear this from someone who's been through it herself. Would love to know your thoughts on whether focusing on protein alone is enough, or if I should be tracking more closely.

1kg a month is perfect right now. Instead of thinking in terms of a specific number you should be losing, think in terms of a percentage of your overall weight. This has an advantage in that the actual number to shoot for drops as your weight goes down. The ideal amount for most people would be one to two percent per month (and certainly no more than three percent). This is right where you're at. Believe it or not, slower is actually better here. The faster your weight loss, the more likely you are to be causing your body to decide you're starving to death. When this happens, your body starts doing things that slow down your metabolism to try to keep you from dying. Of course we know intellectually that we're not actually dying, but your body's metabolic regulation system doesn't know that. It's an amazing system, but it was designed before we had almost instant access to unlimited amounts of highly palatable foods. Thanks for clarifying on the new goal. 65kg sounds like a good goal for now and there's nothing wrong with adjusting up or down even more as you get closer to that. Regarding diet, calories and macros, I'd obviously tell you to defer to your dietitian, though I will say I'm very surprised by the recommendation to lower your protein. When dieting, there are literally hundreds of studies that show the advantages of eating more protein. You should know that overall, I personally am not a huge fan of tracking calories. I know that some people here seem to do so effectively, but for me it just does not work. As I mentioned, most of us aren't very good at actually tracking calorie intake accurately. Even more important to me, none of us have any way at all to know how many calories we are actually burning in a day so tracking intake is only showing you one side of the energy balance equation. Plus, energy expenditure can be highly variable day to day, so even if you did somehow know the exact amount you burned today, it's not going to be the same in one month or one year from now. With all that said, if tracking is working for you, don't change it. Do keep in mind that you may have to reduce calories as you continue to lose since the biggest contributor to metabolism day-to-day is body size. Regarding exercise, I'm going to recommend you stop thinking of exercise as part of your weight loss goal. It simply doesn't work. I don't say this lightly, nor to discourage you, simply to state fact. We have a huge amount of evidence now to show that our bodies tend to slow down in other ways in response to exercise. This is something called the constrained energy model. On a practical level, exercise is still critically important for your overall health. In addition, we do have a lot of data that shows people that have lost a lot of weight are better able to maintain the loss if they exercise on average 1 hour or more per day. In short, do it because you'll feel better, because you'll live longer, AND because once you reach goal, you'll have a much easier time keeping the weight off. I think I can speak for most of us here on this board that we have experienced the exact mental anguish you're feeling. It's normal to worry and let doubt creep in, so know that you are not alone, Mental health is not my area of expertise, so my advice will always be please seek help from a mental health professional if you think you need it.

Hi! Thank you for the detailed questions — I appreciate the time you took to break things down. Here's a full update from my side: 1. Weight Loss Progress: I’m currently losing around 1 kg per month. I know that’s on the slower end post-bypass, but I’m trying to be patient with the process. 2. Goal Weight: My initial goal was 75 kg, and I’ve now revised it to 65 kg. I haven’t updated my profile yet, but that’s the target I’m working toward. 3. Typical Daily Intake: I eat clean, home-cooked food, and I really focus on quality over quantity. Breakfast: 2 eggs and a small side like labneh or some veggies Snack: ½ scoop of whey protein or something light Lunch: Chicken breast or thigh (120–150g) with cooked dhal or sautéed vegetables Dinner: A high-protein meal like steak, paneer, or fish with non-starchy veg I do snack or “cheat” here and there — I’m no angel — but I genuinely try to make good choices most of the time. 4. Caloric and Macro Goals: I was aiming for 115g protein daily, but just yesterday my dietitian told me to reduce that to 65g. I’m adjusting and seeing how my body responds. I try to stay between 1000–1200 kcal, but again, I focus more on food quality than strict numbers. 5. How I Track: I track everything using ChatGPT, not traditional apps like MyFitnessPal. I log my food manually, with weights in grams, and I try to stay mindful and consistent. 6. Activity Level: My workouts have reduced lately. I try to weight train twice a week, and I walk or move throughout the day, but I’ll admit I’ve been slacking a bit. I’m trying to get back on track. 7. Mental State (the honest part): Physically, I look fantastic. But mentally, I feel like I’m failing. I have really bad anxiety that I’m doing something wrong — that I should’ve reached my goal already — and that maybe I’m overeating without realizing it. This fear honestly clouds my progress. I know I’m not alone in this, and I’m trying to work through it. Any advice, especially from others who’ve had slow progress or battled this anxiety, would mean a lot.