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I had a desk job. I took three weeks off but probably could have gone back after two.

I tore some flesh deep overdoing it after my surgery. It was around three weeks out. I thought I was good to go. Wrong! It was brutal. I can remember the instant relief when it finally dissolved.

I don't have Medicaid and went through Blue Cross, but I actually gained a small amount of weight during the phase leading up (5 lbs or so). However, during the pre-op liver shrink diet, it is virtually impossible to not lose weight. I lost 20 pounds in three weeks. If I had shown up and gained weight or maintained after I was supposed to be on that pre-op diet, I'm sure they would've turned me away, because it would've been clear that I hadn't done the surgery preparation without even seeing my liver.

I'm a fan of Matthew Weiner, MD, and his website & videos. I've been following A Pound of Cure philosophy since I began going to my bariatric clinic. I've lost over 50 lbs pre-op. I think his nutritional advice is better than my clinic's. For example, my clinic didn't want me to eat fruit! Can you imagine 8 months without fruit? I'm not totally following his food plan, but am inching my way through the the stations. My vegan friend has shared some of her favorite recipes so many of my meals are animal protein-free. I've cut out sugar, flour, rice, potatoes, pasta, and processed foods. I'm still dependent upon artificial sweeteners, but once I've graduated from protein drinks I'm going to work harder on that. My RNY to RNY revision is just three weeks away now!

I have my final psych appt in 2 weeks. After, I’ll be set to have a first meeting with my surgeon. I did some research on her and she’s relatively new - she’s been practicing for 6 years. Another thing, she has very few ratings. Two of three of them are poor, one was excellent, and they were all from this year. Bad reviews spoke of complications, her bedside manner is awful, the positive spoke highly of her patience and listening. The funny thing? She was a lead researcher in how patient ratings predict outcomes. So I’m nervous now. One of her colleagues has about 50 reviews that are largely positive and she was what originally drew me to that clinic, an hour away. She’s also had bariatric surgery herself. Prior to meeting the surgeon and submitting to insurance would be the best time to make a switch. I originally got this surgeon bc I had a recent endoscopy and that’s all this surgeon required and the other surgeons required more. I feel like I should give her a chance but that review about having complications bc she was careless has me frazzled. I know any surgery can have them but my mom and I are already nervous enough.

Thanks. It's surreal sometimes to realize that I have lost over 200 pounds. Two hundred pounds! And yet I still feel like the same old Big Sue a lot of the time. TBH, I've been struggling a lot in many aspects of my life, so I'm not in a great place to be offering encouraging words to other WLS patients right now. I do still look at new posts, though, and I have to admire you for sticking around after all these years to educate newbies on things like the three week stall.

You may be one of the unlucky ones whose hunger doesn't go away with surgery. And I will say that your surgeon's idea that you must stay on 800 cal a day to lose weight flies in the face of scienc. Stand back, I'm going to use MATH! If you were maintaining your (heavy) weight by eating, say, 3500 calories a day, then that's your maintenance for that weight. So now, if you are eating 800 calories, you are in a deficit of 2700 calories a day, which means you'd lose three quarters of a pound per day on average. If you're eating 1200 calories, you're in a deficit of 2300 calories a day, which means you'd lose two thirds of a pound per day on average. Yes, different macros (protein, carbs, fat, alcohol) do work differently in your body, but ultimately your body is bound, like everyone's, to the calories in-calories out equation. I suspect what happened to you is twofold: 1. You're in a lengthy stall (search up "three-week stall", it happens to almost all of us, it's incredibly frustrating, it's not always at 3 weeks, and it can last a month for some people). It's because your body has depleted its glycogen and is probably somewhat dehydrated (it's hard to drink enough right after surgery), and your fluid balance is adjusting itself. 2. You're frustrated and not tracking what you eat. Unfortunately, this is something that has to be done. You can't fix your diet if you don't know what your diet is. And that means, at least for me, pre-prepping meals and weighing things out. I just pop a tray in the microwave a few times a day and have it all specced out. I use MyMacros+ for tracking. One of the big culprits is cooking oil/fat. How many people measure the oil they put in a pan to cook their, say, chicken breast? Nobody except bariatric patients—everyone else just sploops some oil in a pan until it looks right. I actually have a bar jigger on the counter so I can measure in 1/2 ounces and full ounces. Track your food. Literally track your food. If you find you're not losing weight on 800 cal a day, spend a week eating 1000 cal a day to see if it'll shock your system. I am at about 1400-1500 cal a day a little short of three months post-op, because I work physical work and am very active (gym, running, hiking, etc.) and need the calories to be able to function. But I still track each and every day. The surgery isn't bullshit. If it were possible to just severely restrict calories without it, nobody would get the surgery. But there are thousands of people here, myself included, who found success with the surgery that wouldn't have been possible without it.

strictures, when they happen, are almost always during the first three months post-surgery - although I agree I'd probably let my clinic know what's going on just in case (they CAN happen later, but it's pretty rare - and you really can't keep anything down at all - not just meats (I had two of them - I couldn't even keep fluids down after about a week))

I got my surgery end of September and stopped losing weight for three weeks. It was agonizing!! On top of that I couldnt use the bathroom and felt super nauseous. I regretted my surgery and cried and felt very sorry for myself. Once I was able to use the bathroom (talked to my nutritionist about what to do) everything turned out just fine. I’m only (almost) 9 weeks out but the last four weeks I’ve been losing 3-4lbs per week. What I’m saying is: don’t give up. Don’t stress out. Trust the process and follow your diet. This will work (I’m also trying to keep that in mind for next time when I stall 🙃)

I don’t mind eating the same things on repeat - I’m a single person so have eaten that way for ages. I like not having to think about what I’m going to prep for lunch or dinner every single day. I’ll eat on repeat for three days & anything left I freeze. My freezer is full of single serve meals. So handy on those days you don’t feel like cooking, are working late, don’t want what you have in the fridge, etc. Only have to prep some vegetables or salad & then reheat the frozen meal. Five minutes & dinner is served. You’ll also discover what you don’t enjoy or struggle to tolerate today may be fine tomorrow or next week.

Beware ! I have had two separate experiences with this clinic and they were both negative. When I contacted top plastic surgeons mexico via email to ask questions and schedule my procedure, they responded quickly respond with abundance of information. In order to book or secure a date for procedure, you need to book your flight. There is no deposit required at that point. You will be email someone named David Suez who’s title is Schedule Coordinator. Just to be clear Top Plastic Surgery is the Clinic and Dr. J Bernardo Baltazar Rendon who also works for Hospital Angeles Pedregal. My first procedure was 06/2021. I came to Mexico solo, I was greeted in the airport by driver Raul with a sign of my name, he helped with bags, opened the car door. He brought me to the hotel and picked me up in thlater that night brought me to my appointment with Dr. J Bernardo Baltazar Rendon at Hospital Angeles Pedregal, we went over what I wanted and what he could do with my body type and fat at the time. We discussed the need for bloodwork and compression garment which should actually be done in your country but can be done in Mexico. My surgery was scheduled for the following day in the night as Dr. J Bernardo Baltazar Rendon schedules all appointments and surgery around his day job. At no point in you stay will you enter a Top Plastic Surgery Mexico office or clinic. At no point in you stay will you meet David Suez. The communication via email ends when you arrive. The Dr. and the clinic act as separate entites. The drivers Raul and Pamala will refer you to the Dr. and the Dr will refer you to the clinic and the clinic will not respond. The following day Pamala comes to my hotel room. She is literally introducing her self to me for the first time at my hotel room door. So we discuss my procedure, she collects my money in the hotel room and ask that I fill out two contact, release forms actually. I ask for a receipt for payment and a photo copy of the documents I just signed. She told me that she would give this to me by end of day. I never get a receipt for payment or copy of docs. We proceed to get lab work done and getting medicine from the pharmacy. If you do your lab work in Mexico, you will not get a copy because they put the doctors contact information for results. At this point I inquire about the compression garment and wanting to get it for use immediately after surgery. I was given a garment that was two small and that did not compress the arms; which Raul asked me to return and I did. I had my procedure, full body lipo, ab etching and bbl. I was in a private recovery room. Blood pressure was not taken every 2hrs. I would have to ask or the nurse would come in at random. The day after surgery they wrap me in large gauze to leave in as I don’t have the garment that I was told I would have an opportunity to purchase the day before. For the first three days following surgery I was out of a garment. I has infection and large hematoma in my left butt, not normal bursing from the procedure. A nurse came 1 day out of my 5 day stay, she changed my antibiotics and removed my stitches. Did not do a blood pressure. She did do a rapid covid test for travel which the airlines did not accept going back to USA. I saw the Dr on day 4 following procedure which I had to request. I told him about my whole experience in Mexico and being unhappy with my results. My abdomen was uneven, no ab etching, my arms and armpits remained the same in size and the large amount of fat that was removed from other areas, majority of that fat her told me he disagreed of but didn’t transfer enough far to begin with. He told me that day that everything will heal and come together and that he can always do another procedure. Why would I want to put my body through that agin with a one year period . . Raul drives me to airport to return home, I had to do another covid test at the airport, they did not accept the one I had. Additional cost that I was not reimbursed. This is the moment he asked me to return the garment that did not fit and he told me that if it is dirty that I would have to pay for it. The months following I was not able to contact anyone not via email, not on whatsapp, not on the regular telephone. Pamala told me at one point that she no longer works for the company but I see her 5 months later when I return, still working with the company. So basically I was left BOTCHED looking uneven and lop sided. I was finally able to contact top plastic surgery to have corrective surgery, I honestly believe they were under the impression that I was a new patient, in the way they were speaking to me and adding a fee to my corrective procedure. SEOCOND experience 11/2021. I come to Mexico, the driver raul comes to airport. He is outside the airport, I have to literally go looking for him, Be mindful, I don’t have consistent cell phone reception. My appointment with Dr. Is that evening, same spiel. The surgery was the following day. Raul comes to my hotel room for money and documents. I told him that he needs to speak to the clinic because the agreement was that there was going to be no fee aside from labs, medicine and covid test. He confirms with I don’t know who, the ask me to sign form and the form clearly stated that hotel is apart of the package. I pay the hotel fee then he says that I have to pay for the nurse that comes to visit me and then I have to pay if I stay overnight in the recovery suite, at this point I hold off on the paperwork until I am able to confirm what fees I am responsible for and the ones that I am not responsible for. He tells me that Im acting like I don’t want to pay for anything and I’m being crazy in my decision to ask questions and advocate for myself. So rude, so respect for women because I’m sure if I was a man his response would have been different. Fast forward I wasn’t able to contact anyone in my 5 day stay. The Dr. did my procedure, came to the suite the following day, I didn’t not see him again, no follow up appointment, no nurse came to check on me, no covid test, stitches were not removed, I took a uber from recovery suite to hotel, I took a uber to airport. Horrible experience and my results are better then the first time but there shouldn’t have been a second time. Will not recommend this clinic or Dr. to anyone, not to my worst enemy.

I agree with what everyone has already said.. I'll be four weeks post on Tuesday, and the scale didn't move for 14 DAYS😩.. I got on the scale on the 25th and somehow lost three pounds overnight🥰..

This is what I did. I actually didn't have a prescribed pre-op diet other than clear fluids for 24h before surgery, but I put myself on one and this is exactly what I did. Three weeks: 1 week replace a meal with a shake, 1 week replace two meals with shakes, 1 week full liquid.

I had my surgery on the 24th and the surgeon used the DaVinci robot. Some things I didn’t realize before: * they tie up your arms over your head to get them out of the way * I had a small bruise on my wrist from the restraint * My shoulders hurt, not just from gas, but also that position. The muscles are seriously mad at me. Every time I try to lower myself into a chair, or get out of bed it makes my shoulders hurt super bad. * I have a mystery cut on my upper arm that I haven’t had a chance to ask the surgeon about. Looks like they fixed it up for me. I’m guessing my skin got pinched (I have loose skin there from losing weight and it’s paper thin and tears easily). All of my incisions are incredibly small, maybe less than 1”. None of the incision sites hurt, or are bruised or swollen. There ended up being 5 incisions. One just under my chest, another next to my belly button, then three on my lower abdomen. The surgery took 2 hours for a SADI. I was in terrible pain post op, it took several days to get a handle on it. Luckily they were fine with giving me whatever I needed to make the pain stop, as often as needed. I have stage IV endometriosis so some of the pain was probably from my adhesions too. So I’m not really sure if the robot made it better than normal surgery? It made some things worse and others better.

I would try a three pronged approach. Obviously start with your surgeon. Ask for a referral to a bariatric therapist for some back up. I would also meet more regularly with the bariatric dietitian for hands on real tactics to feeling full. I would be tempted to go back to WW as well for group chat and accountability. I had to get a new hobby of crochet to keep my hands busy and give warm clothing to the homeless shelter to “feel full.” You will find your fullness and feel comfortable in your body too.

I pack several days worth of food prepped just for me in little 2 and 4 oz. containers. I like eating the same thing over and over. I make sure to put some kind of sauce on the protein to keep it moist. Most meats tend to dry out the longer you have them unless they are tightly sealed. Of course everyone’s taste changes. I only prep three days ahead.

The whole idea behind my nutritionist's 6-meals-per-day plan is to gradually increase the quantity per meal so that eventually I'll be able to eat one cup of food per meal three times a day. The six meals are 1/4 cup each, building up to 1/2 cup and so forth. I don't think any post-surgery plan is forever, they're all meant to shepherd you into your new normal. And plans vary wildly between surgeons, as mentioned above. There's no one rule beyond sticking to the plan your surgeon gives you.

There are many different plans with different requirements for how frequently you should eat, how much you should eat, etc. I was to eat only three meals but as I progressed & my caloric intake & portion size continued to be low (couldn’t eat much at a meal) I was advised to add a snack or two - I added yoghurt & or fruit. While trying to sort out my maintenance plan I was adding 4-5 snacks. Now I’ve stabilised, & can eat more at a meal, I usually only eat 3 snacks. Eating this often helps me get the calories in I need to maintain (about 1300) & to meet my protein goals. You may be totally different & that is a big thing to understand. What worked/s for me may not work for you. Best place to begin is with your surgeon’s plan then continue to have discussions with your dietician, surgeon & GP to work out your best way forward. Good luck.

So sorry your surgeon was an ass. I hope you have more support from the other hospital’s team. Some vitamins can cause nausea (vitamin C, E & iron are the main culprits) & it can be challenging to find one with right quantities to suit you. Make sure you take it after you eat & if you have to take more than one, spread out taking them across the day. Bone broths do contain protein. Not as much as the protein shakes of course but for those who can’t tolerate the shakes they are a welcome alternative plus they are a change from shakes three times a day. The broth contains lots of essential nutrients as well.

I don’t take any vitamins any more. Haven’t since about month 8 (hit goal at 6 months) with my surgeon’s approval. While I was losing I took a multi vitamin. Also took a vitamin D to begin but was told to drop it because I had more than enough in my body. I stopped taking multivitamins because I’m not lacking in any nutrients - my three monthly blood work always comes back really good - except protein ☹️. (My poor ability to absorb protein is a result of my gall surgery but I don’t have to take the Creon I was prescribed anymore because they didn’t help - just have to continue to be vigilant with my protein intake.) What do your blood tests show? Are you lacking in any specific vitamin or mineral? Once you stabilise your weight, it’s not as necessary for sleevers to continue to take vitamins unless you are specific lacking in something unlike bypass patients who need to continue to take them due to malabsorption challenges.

On average stalls last 1-3 weeks, but I've had three stalls in the 40-odd day range. My longest stall I just recently got out of and it was 46 days and then I lost a pound and four days after that lost another. So while not common, they can last longer than 3 weeks. I doubt it will happen to you this early out and I'd venture to guess at most your stall may last one week longer before your weight loss kicks back up again. Sometimes our body just has to take time to adjust itself and sometimes it can take longer than we'd like. I know it's hard not to feel discouraged or question ourselves about what we're doing wrong, but as long as you follow your plan I'm sure the weight loss will kick back up again.

It's totally normal to feel that way for a first surgery. I know when I had my first surgery at 24 I was scared of the same thing. The second time I had surgery though I was 29 and I wasn't scared at all (but that was because I was desperate at that point. I had brain surgery due to my Trigeminal Neuralgia and surgery was my last hope to get rid of the unending chronic debilitating pain I'd been in for 10 months non-stop). My WLS was my third and most recent surgery and I was 32 and after going through what I already had with my TN and the brain surgery... I wasn't scared because I pretty much knew what to expect and I figured it wouldn't be anywhere near as bad as waking up from brain surgery (my head HURT so bad after the brain surgery and I was in and out of it, mostly out of it, for the first three or four days and sooooo nauseous) so I figured it wasn't anything to worry about, so while I wasn't scared of the surgery itself, I was nervous about if I'd be able to be up and moving around as soon as they wanted me to (I was sore yes, but they were happy that I was up and walking like I was supposed to when I was supposed to and even did more laps then they had asked). So don't feel bad about being scared. It's 100% normal to feel that way! Just try to think about your reasons for doing the surgery in the first place and it may help with your nerves a little bit.

I've stalled three times in the two months since my surgery. It happens and is just part of the journey. The weight is coming off - stay off the scale for a week and as others have suggested, up your calories and switch up your exercise. It will break.

it's the infamous three-week stall (this early stall happens to probably 90% of us. It's usually the third week after surgery (hence the name), but not always. It can happen any time within the first 4-6 weeks after surgery). If you do a search on it on this site, you will find over 17,000 posts on it (and not, I am NOT kidding). Just stick to your program and stay off the scale for a few days. It usually takes 1-3 weeks to break, but it WILL break and you'll be on your way again.

Can you describe your binging episode in detail? What food? How much? How long did you take? Did you drink during the episode? How much? We can binge if we work at it and know how to do it. Some of us just happen on it by accident. It won't look like pre-op but it's possible. There are ways to prevent thoughtlessly over eating, the same ones even non-ops use. Only put measured portions on your plate and put the rest away before you begin eating. Focus on eating when you are eating. The surgery can do a lot of the work but in some situations it's still up to us. ETA: Responding to your thread title, no, you have not ruined your tool. It takes a lot more than three or four binging episodes to affect your pouch. The thing to be careful of is, again, building a bad habit that eventually may. Good luck, Tek