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I just had my surgery on May 5! Just hit 10 days post op! Now aside from being really hungry, I have absolutely no side effects (no nausea, no heartburn, no reflux, no aches/pains). I am just really tired from not consuming a lot of calories. I did however had a rough start since my doctor didn't send me home with any pain management, so I ended up going to the ER the first night because I was in SO much pain (I think air bubbles were the most painful part). So I would recommend you have a better post op care plan in place from your doctor than I did, even if its just for at night when you want to sleep.

I am just curious.... I had VSG on 03/09/2023. This is supposed to be the HONEYMOON PHASE! But I am turtle losing. Doing all the right things. Eating my calorie limit, hitting water and protein goals. I have lost 21lbs since 03/09, seven of those pounds was the first week after surgery. Anyone else a turtle loser too?

Hi Georgie! Thank you so much for your reply! I'm sorry that your healing was slowed by other concerns, but I'm glad to hear you're getting there. 🩷 I'm very happy with the food I am getting in and my exercise. I think I have a healthy balance right now where I get at least 80g of protein every day (usually more, if I'm honest). This is what I have to watch out for because too much protein seems to dip back towards too many calories, as my surgeon told me. I work with a dietician who specializes in PCOS, so I have specific macro goals geared towards that and my bariatric requirements. I'm losing weight steadily - I just got over a stall, and I'm getting closer to a 50 pound weight loss, which is exciting to me. 🤩

Brandi, I was sleeved March 9 so am right with you on time but have had some medical set backs so have healed very slowly. I will share with you were I am on my tracking but as you said don't use it as your guide because we are in different situations. When evaluating your own intake it is most important to look at where your calories are coming from and your total mix of macros in proportion to one another. Are most of your calories coming from protein? Are your fats plant based? Are you sticking to low carbs and are they complex? Where are your sugars coming from, naturally occurring or refined? How much exercise/ calories are you typically buring in a day? 🤔 So many things to consider. With that said I am averaging around 650 cal/daily still struggling to get 60 g protein and my water. I am not getting enough daily exercise yet and have had a PICC line for daily hydration. (Like I said, other medical issues which have slowed down my healing) at 5 weeks I went back to full liquids. So, focus on your hu ger signals; if you think you are "feeling hungry" too soon, try drinking a non-caloric beverage and wait 30 minutes after you finish it to see if it was actually thirst you were confusing with hunger. Stay on schedule with your meals and snacks (meal planning) and make your protein and water your very first priority before anything else. I find if I do that, there isn't much room for anything else. Don't be obsessed with the scale but do weigh once a week and allow that to be a tool, understanding that you will have stalls, but it should generally be on a general slow slope down over time. And, don't hesitate to talk to your dietician, Dr, or other medical professionals about your concerns and for guidance. And also know that we all have these insecurities and worries. ❤️ Love yourself and you will do the right thing. Believe in YOU!

Hey March Sleeves! For anyone who counts their calories or tracks their food, how many calories do you get in a day? I'm so curious! I'm not being super strict with myself when it comes to calories, but I'm tracking my food and listening to my body to eat slower and only until I'm satisfied, not overfull and to focus on whole foods and eating intuitively. I was sleeved on March 7th, so I'm a little more than 2 months post-op. I eat around 900-1100 calories a day, give or take. (This isn't for comparison, but more out of curiosity. Sometimes I worry I eat too much, but I'm never grossly full or anything either.)

It sucks to not see the scale moving. It makes me feel like im failing. I know it's normal, but ahh! I only lost 39.5 pounds since surgery (2/21/23). What could I be doing wrong? What could I do to get it moving again? Am I eating too many calories? I don't even know how many calories I'm supposed to be having. I don't have anything in my papers. One things for sure, a lot of stuff doesn't feel like I get restriction? The only thing I can't eat really so far is bread, pancakes/waffles. That I know of. I know each meal is supposed to be 3 to 4 ounces. How do you guys figure out your entire meal size. 2oz protein, 1 ounce veggies, 1 ounce starch? Ugh. My next appointment is the 25th or 26th

Hello Shelley, I am so sorry you are suffering in this manner. It's not what you paid for and you need better care. Go to A & E. Ask them to see if you may have a stricture. You are in the right time frame for one. It sounds like it as you are struggling to swallow anything. If this is the case then it's an easy fix. If you can not get a prescription from a doctor then ask at A& E for one for Lansoprasol, preferably twice a day. I take this for nausea and to help with acid reflux. I also take Gaviscon before bed to stop the reflux. I have a wedge pillow under my pillows to hoik my head higher than my belly. Books under the top of the bed work too. You will learn to sleep like this. It's difficult at first. Better than the reflux though. You are dizzy because your calorie count is lower than low. I had to come off my blood pressure medication at this point too. stand up slowly and always hold on to something to steady yourself. Your poop is that colour because you are getting rid of the fat cells, I didn't fart for a year so I can not help with that one. You can get Windeeze tablets at the chemist that could help. I really hope you sort it asap x Sent from my Lenovo TB-J606F using BariatricPal mobile app

So weird hearing someone say that’s great - I feel like I hit a stall every couple of days. I have followed the program (though walking now that I have started work is hard). In addition to water and protein goals my team gave me a fiber goal (though I have heard anyone talk about a fiber goal in this forum). Was told don’t worry about calories or carbs - but listen to your body

I didn’t exercise & still don’t. I do some stretches, use a resistance band & do some sit ups now but more to help with my back & to keep me a bit limber than for anything else. I wouldn’t burn 30 calories. (Ironically I would burn more calories if I weighed more LOL!) I really don’t enjoy structured exercise at all. It’s boring, I don’t like being forced to ‘perform’ & I hate being sweaty. I do my stretches, etc. in 5-10 minute blocks through out the day (it’s called exercise snacking & is just as beneficial as doing a single long block of exercise). I’m more willing to do it like this. Exercise only accounts for about 10% of any weight you have to lose. Want to lose 60lbs? Exercise will only contribute to you losing about 6lbs. Of course there are many other benefits to exercising but don’t rely on it for boosting your weight loss. I have never been this successful with sustained weight loss ever before & I’m almost 58 so have quite a few years of dieting experiences. 😉 I’ve changed so much about my relationship with food. I still enjoy food but know & accept I can’t just eat what I like, when I like & how much I like. I don’t consider I’m making sacrifices or missing out. It really is about changing your thinking about food & eating. It doesn’t happen over night but you’ll get there too. Day by day, week by week.

for dinner: leftovers in a take out container! a small slice of ribeye, teeny spoonfuls of spinach & mushrooms (drenched in butter omg) and a sad little piece of baked potato. this was leftover from mr.'s dinner last night and he didn't want to take it home (it's not worth it, he said). well, i insisted and i got me a nice dinner tonight, HA! estimated 186 calories (ate it all, yum!)

Hello All, I came to this site when I was doing research for my own surgery which was completed in December of 2021. I found it difficult to find numerous relatable stories from men who had weight loss surgery. Hence, I thought I would share my experience. I am a 56 year old male and I would consider myself just another guy. I started my own new business in 2015. If you have ever started a new business from zero, then you know it is a very stressful experience. Consequently, I gained 20 pounds a year for, roughly, six consecutive years. My weight ballooned to an all time high of 353 pounds. If it wasn't nailed to the floor, I ate it. If it was cold, I drank it. I take full responsibility for my actions. I freely made the decision to consume all of the food and drink. I also found ways to justify eliminating my regular exercise routine during this time period. Towards the end of 2021, from a health perspective, I was miserable. I had trouble walking any sort of distance. My poor dogs felt neglected because I could not walk with them. I had a difficult time standing for any length of time because my lower back would begin to ache. I was beginning to have problems with my joints, especially my knees and ankles. From an emotional perspective, I also had issues. I had to search for restaurants with tables instead of sitting at a cozy booth because I could longer fit in any booth. It is an awful feeling to ask, "Can I have that table over there instead of this booth?" It seemed to me they knew I asked because I couldn't fit in the space. I was forced to buy bigger clothes. Soon, those clothes didn't fit and I had to buy even bigger clothes. My clothes needed to be purchased in the "fashion forward" Big & Tall section of stores and websites. I began to hate to have my photo taken because I did not like the way in which I appeared in the photos. To me, the person who looked back at me in the mirror looked nothing like the person who appeared in those photos. Who was that guy in those photos? Was that really me? I began to feel self conscious about eating in front of other people. I just had this feeling they were saying, "look at how much food that fat guy is eating." while I was eating a slice of pizza. I found myself buying food to eat in the car while I was driving so no one would see me. I justified the binge eating by telling myself I was hungry and didn't have enough calories at such and such a place. I grew tired of family members asking me if I was "okay" each time they saw me. I grew tired of friends asking me if I was able to "manage" going somewhere with them. Consequently, people started to avoid me. It was my own fault. I was grouchy all the time. If you are reading this, perhaps you have had similar feelings to my own. I made the decision I needed a little help. I began to look for a surgical procedure to assist me in my weight loss journey. I decided to have gastric sleeve surgery. As previously stated, my surgery was completed in December of 2021. I followed my surgeon's instructions explicitly. I ate what they told me to eat. I drank what they told me to drink. I used an app on my phone to track every calorie. When permitted, I began a regular exercise routine. The routine began with cardio and, over time, I added weight training too. Day after day and week after week, I developed better habits. I ate better foods and less calories. My cardio improved and my strength improved. Oh, I also lost weight...a lot of weight. My weight went from 353 pounds to 199 pounds. Yes, that's right. Today, I weigh less than 200 pounds. My total weight loss has been a whopping 154 pounds in 17 months. My waist size shrunk from 48 inches to 34 inches. My shirt size went from XXX-Large to Large. Hell, even my shoes lost 1/2 of a size. The feeling has been incredible. Nothing tastes as good as thin feels. Today, I continue to perform cardio four days per week and I lift weights every other day. Luckily I have had no ill side effects from the surgery. I feel great. I feel like others who have described losing a lot of weight...fantastic. Apologies to you if I have rambled on too long. Hopefully you find something here in which you can relate. Good luck in your journey. All the best.

Airfried crispy radish cake (dimsum style). 110 calories. My dipping sauce was a vinegar, soy sauce, red chili, fresh garlic mixture. I ate two.

I got my sleeve done exactly two months ago, with a two week pre-op diet. I've lost 40 pounds, but it feels like it should be more. The last few weeks I've been fighting a stall where I'm not seeing much of a change on the scale. My energy is high, I tolerate almost all foods, and I get 8-10 cups of water a day. Lately I've been going over my protein goals, so I'm trying to get more fruits and veggies in to keep my calories lower. I walk 5 days a week for 30 minutes, resistance train 2 days a week, and I've been trying to get extra exercise through stretching or swimming on the weekend. I'm concerned I'm not strength training well enough because I'm never really sore. 😔 But I keep telling myself any movement that gets my heart rate up is good movement. I'm trying not to obsess over the scale (I weigh once a week). I've been getting a lot of positive comments from people I know that they can see a difference. I just can't see it myself. 💔

another day another salad: 350 calories for the bowl.

more salad for lunch. they all look the same, don't they?? 😂 good thing i love salad. 343 calories for lettuce, chicken, figs and greek dressing:

felt like a burger tonite. 1/2 a five guys little bacon cheeseburger and some fries and ketchup. 564 calories for the plate (saucer). Mr. ate the leftovers. its really quite fascinating that he isnt overweight at all given all the food he eats for me.

Maybe for some moderate cardio. The lack of calories really takes a toll on your energy levels

salad for dinner! lettuce, chicken and other stuff 310 calories, ate it all.

late lunch: toast w/ turkey, havarti, and tomatoes (w/ mayo, olive oil, basil and balsamic) 260 calories, ate it all.

FYI...Hero Bread is the latest addition to Subway’s bread line. Hero Bread has no added sugar, no net carbs, and 45 calories per slice. Each serving contains 26 grams of fiber, as well as 12 grams of protein. It is exciting. I can't imagine going the rest of my life and never eating a sandwich or wrap ever again. I plan to try it in the future. But man it's pricey!

breakfast of champions (ok not really lol) : chicharron i have not been eating much lately and felt i needed a calorie boost. this tiny snack tupperware cup of 3 peices of the stuff is 111 calories. (my cat sorta photobombed the shot haha)

I understand your frustration. When I was about one week post op, I hit my first stall. ONE WEEK! I only had water, some broth and that’s it. So why the heck wasn’t I losing weight?? To make matters worse, my hubby, who ate take out twice that week, lost three pounds. WHAT!? I was totally insulted… and I started to think it was my body again. Always trying to keep me fat. Years of struggle and here I am eating 400 cals a day and not losing anything?? One week later, a small movement. But every time I changed food stages, another stall. That was four stalls in six weeks. Very frustrating. I knew my BMR was 1400, so staying around 600-800 calories with high protein and low carb would HAVE to work. It’s not the program as much as it is the science. a couple things I’ve noticed… 1. If I’m sick or have an allergy episode, I will stall or even gain 2. if I drink Gatorade or artificial sweeteners of any kind, I will stall 3. if I don’t have regular daily bowel movements, I will stall. This one is so hard to deal with. 4. If I don’t get enough sleep, I will stall. 5. When I started eating higher protein than recommended (90 recommended, I have 110), I will lose. Even if the carbs go up slightly. 6. If I eat too many processed foods in a day, like protein bars, drinks or snacks, I will stall. 7. If I don’t get enough pure water, I will stall. You might have some sensitivities like these or others…. Really examen what you’re taking in, not just the calories and fat. It’s a puzzle you gotta figure out for yourself. It’s hard work. But I believe you can do it. Just vent and get back in there! 😃

Stop. You're making yourself crazy. Get off the scale. You can't eat 800 calories a day and not lose weight, eventually. It'll happen. Your body is still healing from a very traumatic surgery. You're going to have swelling and water retention for months. This is a normal and expected part of the process. If you're doing what you're supposed to be doing, then you have nothing to worry about. You'll get there. It takes time for our metabolism to get the message. Depriving your healing tissues of the protein they need in order to heal, is not something that I would suggest. You could cause yourself more harm than good.

that's under your control. You can always increase your calories and stop the weight loss. However, keep in mind that most of us experience a 10-20 lb rebound gain after hitting our lowest weight. Also, rebound or not, things do sort of shift around during year 2 or 3 so that you don't look as gaunt. I looked really thin after hitting bottom at month 20 - but things did shift around - and then I put on about 20 lbs quickly sometime during year 3. So suffice it to say, I wouldn't really worry about losing too much weight. A lot of long-timers who looked too gaunt during year 2 didn't look that way once they hit year 3 or 4 (honesty, there are days I wish I was still that thin!)

Bulgogi and lettuce (intended to make lettuce wraps but these leaves were too small! 😂) 305 calories for the bowl (ate about 1/2)