When does energy return?

[Lily66 425]

Hi BariPals, I’m 3.5 weeks post op and that wiped out, low energy stage is still with me. Wondering when energy usually kicks back in? I’m getting my Protein & fluids in, averaging 600-700 cal daily. I walk 1.5 miles daily but/and have little energy for much of anything else. Do you remember when your energy returned? Thanks!

[NovaLuna 710]

I was four or five weeks out when my energy came back. Then two weeks after that it crashed again. But, I'm dealing with a potassium deficiency and an underactive thyroid, so I'm not the norm in that case. So expect your energy to come back in the next week or two. Hopefully.

[Lily66 425]

Thanks, NovaLuna, and I do hope your energy returns quickly!

[ChubRub 1,700]

It took me about 2 months. The first month I felt like I took 2-3 naps per day! The 2nd month, I got by with just 1 nap! LOL!!!

[biginjapan 647]

I know I'm an outlier here, but I've basically had no problems with energy since I left the hospital. I get my 10,000 (or more) steps in every day, I'm fairly active moving around all the time, etc. However, I have had a day or two where I felt completely drained, but that's only been 2 or 3 times over the past month since surgery. I have noticed though that even though I get more than enough sleep (thanks self-isolation!) I always look tired - the circles under my eyes are pretty pronounced. I don't know if that's because I'm not sleeping as well as I think I am, or it has to do with the weight loss/nutritional deficiencies.

[plain.sight 20]

I'm kind of with biginjapan on this one, too. I really did not experience much lack of energy after the first couple of days. However, my girlfriend had the sleeve surgery a week after mine, and I had to run the house (the boys can't really take care of themselves) while she was away and while she was recovering, so it was almost that I didn't really have a choice either. As the weight comes off, too, I'm finding more energy and starting to realize that while I just thought I was extremely lazy (I am to an extent), I was also being weighed down so much by my weight.

I would say to keep at it, make sure you are getting your Vitamins in and your Protein, and then just keep up with the walks. I think you'll be back to feeling more like yourself soon enough.

[Stinkerbells2ndact 53]

@Lily66 sounds like we are in the same boat exactly. Surgery 3/9, so about 3.5wks and I struggle with energy, too. I force myself to walk 1.5 -3miles most days. Calories 600-800. I will admit that yesterday I messed up my counts and ended up eating way more and had quite a bit more energy today, so thinking that is definitely part of it. But I’m not willing to do it again since I’m not willing to risk gaining or stalling to do it 🤪. Guess it’s just going to take time and patience.

[Krimsonbutterflies 661]

5 hours ago, Lily66 said:

Hi BariPals, I’m 3.5 weeks post op and that wiped out, low energy stage is still with me. Wondering when energy usually kicks back in? I’m getting my Protein & fluids in, averaging 600-700 cal daily. I walk 1.5 miles daily but/and have little energy for much of anything else. Do you remember when your energy returned? Thanks!

I was just whining about my lack of energy today, I'm looking forward to this emergence of energy I've heard about post wls. I'm cleaning my room and working on a closet, it will probably take me until Tuesday to finish. Geesh, I haven't statred exercising yet and today is my one month surgiversary. Going to start the resistance bands and walking my neighborhood.

[Meadow76 150]

Took good 6 weeks to feel like myself again

[Lynda486 783]

I would say I turned a corner between 4 and 5 weeks. The healing process can be exhausting!

[zombierayvinn 6]

I am just now getting all my energy back and I am almost 8 weeks post op. I also walk about 7 miles a day due to working in healthcare.

[Arabesque 6,565]

I was the total opposite of @biginjapan. It took me a good 4/5 months to get my energy back. I had terrible trouble with low blood pressure (still do but not quite as bad) & sudden drops in my sugar levels. I walked around with bottles of diluted hydralite because sometimes just doing the grocery shopping would have me in cold sweats, shaking & having dizzy turns. I almost keeled over several times & almost fell off my treadmill. Not fun.

[Lily66 425]

8 hours ago, Arabesque said:

I was the total opposite of @biginjapan. It took me a good 4/5 months to get my energy back. I had terrible trouble with low blood pressure (still do but not quite as bad) & sudden drops in my sugar levels. I walked around with bottles of diluted hydralite because sometimes just doing the grocery shopping would have me in cold sweats, shaking & having dizzy turns. I almost keeled over several times & almost fell off my treadmill. Not fun.

Arabesque, You are describing my journey! Low BP, low blood sugar, most of the time, light headed, lose my balance easily. Drinking Propel and other sugar free electrolyte replacement, making sure I have frequent small “meals”. Fortunately, hubby goes out walking with me because I’m afraid I could pass out! This is why I was never able to do Keto pre-op. I guess some of us are just predisposed to these issues. Thanks, and I do hope things have gotten better for you? Please tell me it goes away? I’m so light headed, I think it officially makes me an airhead Lol.

[biginjapan 647]

@Lily66 and @Arabesque, I find this strange myself. I suffer from really low blood pressure most of the time (for at least 20 years), pretty low albumin (iron) levels (but not enough to be prescribed Iron supplements), and don't do well with pain most of the time. It's just as strange to me that I barely suffered any distress post-op, that pain has been negligible (except for 2 lactose intolerant episodes and a few days of terrible constipation), that I haven't had any real issues with food (except for the lactose intolerance episodes), and that my energy levels are as good as they were pre-op. However, I do notice myself getting off-balance more than once on a daily basis, and that never happened before. And, as mentioned above, I have really dark circles under my eyes - today was the worst yet and if I didn't know better I would think that I was suffering from some kind of wasting disease. Anyway, I think the dark circles indicate low iron and/or B12 levels, even though I've been keeping up with my supplements every day. Of course I can't go to the hospital now to get bloodwork done, so I'm going to see if I can find some additional supplements to make up for what I'm not getting from the bariatric Multivitamin, and see if that helps.

[Lily66 425]

Prayers for you @biginjapan that you’re feeling stronger/stable soon! Maybe our dark circles are fat loss under the very thin skin of the eye area? Hmm. Not sure.

I am trying to do light chores around the house today and have to rest like every 1/2 hour for about 15 minutes or so because of light headed/weakness and I feel that weakness throughout my entire body. Will continue searching for clues...