I am pre-op and in perimenopause. I'm struggling to lose weight to lower my BMI for surgery. Although the weight is coming off, it's happening slowly. I'm looking to have gastric bypass surgery, and I've been told you can lose 65% to 80% of your excess weight. As someone in perimenopause, should I lower my expectations when it comes to losing excess weight? I'd also love to hear about other people's experiences. Did anyone start HRT during the pre-op stage? If so, what was the outcome?

Hello! I'm 53, almost 54, and I had a gastric sleeve to bypass conversion on April 15th. My surgical team told me they're surprised I'm losing so quickly because it's uncommon when having a wls for a second time, but despite being perimenopausal with irregular periods, the weight is dropping! I would like it to be faster, but I average about 2-2.5 pounds each week, with some stalls, which I was told are normal. Good luck to you and keep us posted.

I’m 48, in perimenopause and 11 months post op I have lost 2/3 of my excess weight and the curve is not flattening so far. so while some people lose faster it’s definitely doing what it is supposed to do.

I can't speak to the HRT side since I don't have personal experience with that, but I've seen how much hormonal changes can affect both energy levels and expectations around progress.

One thing that really stuck with me came from my friend Noelle McKenzie, who works as a personal trainer at Leading Edge NY. She always says that during phases like perimenopause, it's helpful to focus on building sustainable habits rather than judging progress only by the number on the scale. Strength training a couple of times a week, combined with regular walking and enough protein, can help maintain muscle while you're working toward your goal, even if the scale moves more slowly than you'd like.

It sounds like you're already making progress, even if it's slower than expected. I'd keep working closely with your bariatric team and try not to compare your timeline with someone else's. Everyone's body responds differently, especially when hormones are part of the picture.

Wishing you the very best with your surgery and recovery. I'd also be interested to hear from others who've gone through bariatric surgery during perimenopause and how they managed their expectations.