This surgery is bullshit...

[QuirkyParrot 28]

I'm sorry you're struggling. Hitting a plateau or weight loss stall is so frustrating. It's a time when we are very vulnerable and likely to give up on ourselves, go back to unhealthy habits and resist support or advice. It feels like nobody understands what we're going through, or how we feel, and that old self-loathing starts to rear it's ugly and counterproductive head. Please don't give up on yourself. You made a decision to move forward with surgery because you wanted something very badly, don't let it go. Now that it's done, give yourself some grace and try to get back into the headspace where you can take advantage of the benefits.

You've made changes, but are not getting the desired results. So, you need to make some tweaks to nudge your body back into the weight loss track. In order to make those tweaks, you're going to need to buckle down for a short time and track your eating. There's really no other way to go about figuring out what has you stalled without taking a very close look at that. It's a major pain int he a$$ and it takes discipline, but it's not forever. Commit to doing it 100% for just one week, that's long enough to reveal where the pitfalls are and find a solution. It's entirely possible that you are not eating enough. My longest stall was broken when I made a very moderate increase to my Protein and fat. It was literally a difference of about 4 ounces of food a day that flipped my weight loss from stop to go.

Tracking can be approached in different ways: you can either use an app to track things as you eat, write things down each time you eat then log everything into an app or website at the end of each day, or make a menu, log it at that time and stick to that religiously. I cycle through these methods depending on the other things going on in my life at any point. The last scenario is easiest to manage if you put aside time to do your meal prep for the week, so the food is ready for you to just reheat (if necessary) and eat. I can never stick to a planned menu unless I have the food ready to grab n go. I've tried a few apps, my favorite is MyFitnessPal.

After tracking for 7 days, take a good critical look at your macros - calories, protein, fat, carbs, Fiber and sodium (my personal demon) - and see if anything jumps out at you as higher or lower than you were assuming. Share your diet and macros here and you will find advice on making adjustments that will have you back on track in short order. You could find that a small change can net big results.

However you decide to move forward, I wish you the best and hope you enjoy the holiday season with your family and friends.

[JKUENZI 5]

Thank for giving her so much encouragement and help. I really like the Baritastic app.

[Hibby 4]

I started my liquid diet on July 28th and had my surgery August 5th and have lost 103 pounds since.

[Jue 73]

I went on the Jane Mills FB and it looks like a really good site

[Mz D 25]

Sounds super disheartening! I have only lost 30lbs so far too, but that isn't cause to give up. I had my A1C done last week, and in just 30lbs of loss I'm no longer diabetic, not even pre-diabetic. Any loss is good loss. If you are feeling angry and frustrated, acknowledge it, then ask what you need to do to get things moving in a positive direction again. More Water? Different macros? Physical activity? Everyone's journey is different, so don't compare yours to anyone else's and think you've failed. You've only failed once you quit trying. I hope it gets better, goodmanje!

[JKUENZI 5]

Good, I am glad you liked Jamie Mills site. Check out the Baritastic app also. It will connect to some of the popular smart watches also. Not mine, it's too cheap 😅

Anyone who doesn't have a good follow up team after surgery... please follow someone on YTube. There are so many important things that you might not know. Like Vitamins.... super important. How long to eat soft foods, how to take your meds for that 1st month and so much more. Best of luck. Love yourself enough to make the commitment to lose the weight. Everything we do in life takes commitment, even doing the dishes.

Edited December 2, 2021 by JKUENZI

[Starwarsandcupcakes 1,893]

Let’s talk about some things that play an important factor in this-

You’re a 6ft tall, 52yr old man who started out on the lower end of obesity before surgery and have a current BMI of about 32.5

BMI doesn’t take into consideration your build, lean body mass (especially if you do a lot of physical activity) or genetics.

All of those things along with others like metabolic issues, your BMR basal metabolic rate (the calories needed to do nothing but exist) play a factor into how you will lose or maintain weight.

Based on just a generic BMR calculator (no specifics like lean body mass, etc.) your body burns about 2100 at absolute rest. Eating only 800 calories a day leaves your body in starvation mode and will hang onto every calorie for what it’s worth and not let you continue losing weight. Try adding 2-300 calories a day and see if that helps along with tracking calories.

Try something along these lines for a few days and see if it helps-

Breakfast (eggs and turkey bacon)
2 eggs, scrambled with 2 cups fresh spinach, 2 slices turkey bacon and 1oz cheddar cheese- 330 calories and 24g Protein

lunch (stir fry)
3oz chicken breast, 1/2 cup sliced zucchini, 1/4 cup diced tomatoes, and 1/4 cup onion cooked in 1tsp olive oil with spices (Italian seasoning, garlic powder, cumin, etc.)- 225 calories and 29g protein

snack
100 calorie pack of almonds (100 calories and 3g protein) OR 2 stalks celery with 1tbsp Peanut Butter (105 calories and 5g protein)

dinner (tortilla pizza)
1-8” flour tortilla topped with 1/4 cup marinara sauce, 1oz cooked Italian sausage, and 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese- 365 calories and 15g protein

Total for the day- 1025 calories and 73g protein and that’s with the celery and peanut butter.

If you need more meal ideas to get you (back) on track then message me. I have a notebook full of them!

[Tomo 1,135]

I had gastric sleeve surgery on July 21st. Over the first six weeks I lost 30lbs. I haven't lost a single pound since then..... My doctor keeps saying I need to keep my daily calorie intake to 800 or less to lose weight. I haven't been logging everything but I think I'm staying around that number... I'm not a very disciplined person so keeping track of that every day usually doesn't happen. I'm super frustrated and getting depressed over this. If I was able to lose weight by sticking to a very strict diet and exercise program I would have done that a long time ago and never had the surgery. I had a big part of my stomach removed for nothing.... Anybody else out there who can't lose weight even after weight loss surgery? I don't know what to do....

If your surgery wasn't working, you would be eating far more calories, similar to what got you to consider WLS in the first place. If you are truly eating 800 calories a day, then get a physical and find out if you have any serious medical issues that is preventing your body from losing weight. Maybe it is a thyroid issue or serious Water weight due to kidneys... etc.

Sent from my SM-N986U using BariatricPal mobile app

[SleeverSk 617]

On 11/29/2021 at 12:31 AM, goodmanje said:

I had gastric sleeve surgery on July 21st. Over the first six weeks I lost 30lbs. I haven't lost a single pound since then..... My doctor keeps saying I need to keep my daily calorie intake to 800 or less to lose weight. I haven't been logging everything but I think I'm staying around that number... I'm not a very disciplined person so keeping track of that every day usually doesn't happen. I'm super frustrated and getting depressed over this. If I was able to lose weight by sticking to a very strict diet and exercise program I would have done that a long time ago and never had the surgery. I had a big part of my stomach removed for nothing.... Anybody else out there who can't lose weight even after weight loss surgery? I don't know what to do....

You should be on more than 800 cals a day by now, maybe you arent eating enough or the wrong foods, i stalled for a good 8 weeks. I started eating a bit more and the scales started moving. Could also be your body rebuilding any muscle you might have lost in the early days after surgery. Eating to little will cause your body to hang on to every bit it can

[SleeverSk 617]

11 hours ago, Starwarsandcupcakes said:

Let’s talk about some things that play an important factor in this-

You’re a 6ft tall, 52yr old man who started out on the lower end of obesity before surgery and have a current BMI of about 32.5

BMI doesn’t take into consideration your build, lean body mass (especially if you do a lot of physical activity) or genetics.

All of those things along with others like metabolic issues, your BMR basal metabolic rate (the calories needed to do nothing but exist) play a factor into how you will lose or maintain weight.

Based on just a generic BMR calculator (no specifics like lean body mass, etc.) your body burns about 2100 at absolute rest. Eating only 800 calories a day leaves your body in starvation mode and will hang onto every calorie for what it’s worth and not let you continue losing weight. Try adding 2-300 calories a day and see if that helps along with tracking calories.

Try something along these lines for a few days and see if it helps-

Breakfast (eggs and turkey bacon)
2 eggs, scrambled with 2 cups fresh spinach, 2 slices turkey bacon and 1oz cheddar cheese- 330 calories and 24g Protein

lunch (stir fry)
3oz chicken breast, 1/2 cup sliced zucchini, 1/4 cup diced tomatoes, and 1/4 cup onion cooked in 1tsp olive oil with spices (Italian seasoning, garlic powder, cumin, etc.)- 225 calories and 29g Protein

snack
100 calorie pack of almonds (100 calories and 3g protein) OR 2 stalks celery with 1tbsp Peanut Butter (105 calories and 5g protein)

dinner (tortilla pizza)
1-8” flour tortilla topped with 1/4 cup marinara sauce, 1oz cooked Italian sausage, and 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese- 365 calories and 15g protein

Total for the day- 1025 calories and 73g protein and that’s with the celery and Peanut Butter.

If you need more meal ideas to get you (back) on track then message me. I have a notebook full of them!

Wow that seems alot, I must still be under eating,any wonder i am tired all the time

[SleeverSk 617]

On 11/29/2021 at 1:25 AM, cellbell said:

Because the surgery helps people better manage a very strict diet program so they can actually sticks to it. Some people lose their hunger for months, making it much easier to be satisfied at 800 calories. Even when hunger returns, a smaller stomach helps with Portion Control.

Its not like that for everyone, i am 17 weeks out and i am starving most of the time even after eating my stomache feels like its going to start eating itself

[SleeverSk 617]

On 11/29/2021 at 1:19 PM, Charotera303 said:

I had a chat with my preop team about the LSG I had on 11/8. My preop provider says if patients are using the surgery as an excuse to lose weight faster, they will fail. It’s a process, a tool to help with weight loss. Even with my behavioral health evaluation for the surgery, I expressed that this is a tool for me and not a magic wand to lose weight in a blink of an eye.

So far, I’m 20 lbs lighter after 21 days. My post opt week 4 starts tomorrow and it’s a learning process. I don’t count my calorie intake but I record all my intakes including Water and Clear Liquids.

I wish you the best of luck and maybe get a weight loss therapist.

Unfortunately to many surgeries are done without proper screening and the patient who should never have been approved is and they struggle. I am one of them 😢

[SleeverSk 617]

On 11/30/2021 at 12:04 AM, Jaelzion said:

Everyone has covered the mental aspects, so I won't repeat. But I'm curious...

1. Do you feel restriction when you eat? At six weeks out, it should be very apparent. What happens if you overeat?

2. What kind of food are you eating? Are you following an eating plan? Or just eating whatever?

3. Do you eat meals? Graze? Both? What is your style of eating?

4. Are you hungry all the time? Or do you eat out of boredom, as a coping mechanism, etc?

The folks on this site are super-knowlegeable and might be able to help you figure out what's going on if you provide more information.

I love reading your responses, you give really good advise and ask great questions to help people out ❤❤

[SleeverSk 617]

On 11/30/2021 at 12:20 AM, goodmanje said:

To those with encouraging words I appreciate it. Those of you who are sitting on your high horse saying “all you have to do is put in the work” can check their ego. Why didn’t you put in the work instead of having surgery? Because you were just as much a lazy slob as me. Nobody who has had this procedure should be judgemental but we’ve got some on here talking like they are Olympic athletes or something. I have been following the advise of my physician. I don’t write everything down but I’m only eating low calorie food. I never drink anything with calories, never eat out…. I don’t even eat what the rest of my family has for meals. I’ve always got my own food to eat. And I’m not losing weight…… like I said, I don’t know what else to do.

You are so right you even made me laugh 😂😂. Personally i dont think you are eating enough i was sleeved same date as you and i had an 8 week stall. Started eating more, the scales started moving but also take notice of the wat clothes are fitting i actually lost size but not weight at one point too

[LadyH 57]

2 hours ago, SleeverSk said:

Unfortunately to many surgeries are done without proper screening and the patient who should never have been approved is and they struggle. I am one of them 😢

There are also huge differences between people depending on build, age, medical conditions, medications, exercise capacity, peevious dieting/yo-yo dieting, etc., etc., etc.,

hang in there, Sleeversk