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Sunday brunch:

My advice for what its worth would be, 1 Rest when your body says so, have a nap whenever you can. 2 Don't rush the process, your stomach has a massive wound in it and will be swollen and sore, hence the need for liquid and puree stages. 3 Remember the 3 week stall, you won't panic when you stop loosing weight. 4 Don't compare yourself to anyone else. This is your weight loss journey. No two journeys are the same. Good luck and keep us posted of your progress

Hey! I just scheduled my surgery date and I got to schedule it the day I was hoping! February 21st. Anyone else have a February surgery date?? Maybe we can help each other!

So my better half wanted taco bell last night so I did my usual. I got a side of black beans 50 cal then added red onions and fat free sour cream 20 cal), put hot sauce in it and ate it as lettuce wraps. Less than 100 cal.

I think I was pretty much exactly where you are at 3 months post op! My team went one step further and didn't give me ANY goals at all. Just food consistency phases. I learned how to eat and what to eat mainly by reading this forum. I think I still had to push myself to reach 800 calories a day - I remember at that stage often having to take a few spoons of nut butter or some cheese at bedtime just to hit the 800 some nights but I never wanted to eat any less than that. I was drinking alcohol at weekends by then too so my intake was well over 1000 on two days a week - that was by choice though. It may have slowed my weight loss a little but luckily it didn't stop me reaching goal. I mainly walked, but I walked *very* fast and did (still do) it several days a week. I have never adjusted my intake to make allowances for that - never felt the need. I was very conscious of squeezing every pound of loss that I could over the 'honeymoon period' when I wasn't hungry - with my own personal concession being a couple of glasses of wine on Fri and Sat night. Over the months my calories have kind of drifted upwards really - never planned. I can just eat a bit more before I get full, and I get properly hungry now which forces me to eat again at the most 3 hours later - at 3 months out I was pretty much eating by the clock to get 100 or so calories in every 2-3 hours. You had your surgery almost exactly a year after me and you started 4lbs heavier. I've just looked at my diary and this time last year I was...218lb exactly, same as you today. What are the chances? You are doing brilliantly. 😍

Every surgeon has different recommendations. When I was in pureed phase my options were much more limited than a lot of others on here. Even bariatric pureed recipe books I couldn’t follow. It’s important to follow your surgeons recommendations. You can reach out to your dietitian who should be able to give you some ideas.

Even "phases" are an individual surgeon and nutritionist thing. You would think they would have come up with a consistent plan for post-ops, but no such luck. Nutritional programs are like religions, surgeons & nutritionists have their beliefs that they will go to their graves to defend. They are as important as life and death and every other plan is wrong. Your surgeons' plan is the path to success, everything else will lead to failure. Get a couple drinks in your nutritionist and they may admit the ultimate truth: that it is consistency in a healthy plan that is the key to everlasting... err... maintenance. Since you mentioned shakes, broth, jello, pudding, and scrambled egg I should think anything with similar consistencies would be OK. Perhaps mashed potatoes, yogurt. I think you could probably get away with pureed just about anything protein or veggie. Basically, anything similar to what you are doing now. Likewise if your surgeon mentioned any goals or types of food for this period you could do things that would also meet those goals. Good luck, Tek

Congrats everyone! I just had sleeve surgery 2/8/23. Recovering now. They found a large hiatal hernia and fixed it at the same time. Happy to chat with anyone.

It's not uncommon for people who have experienced emotional trauma to have additional challenges or changes in their emotional and mental health after a significant physical change such as gastric surgery. It's possible that weight loss surgery may trigger the reemergence of memories or feelings that were previously repressed. Also, the surgery may affect the way the body processes and stores nutrients which in turn can affect the way the brain functions and can lead to changes in mood and mental state. It's important to note that every individual's experience is unique and it's hard to generalize. It's important to have a open communication with your healthcare team, and also to have a good support system in place before and after surgery. It's also important to be aware that the post-surgery period can be an emotional rollercoaster, with a lot of changes happening both physically and emotionally. It's important to be mindful of that and not to be too hard on yourself, and seek help if needed.

The way I found my "limit" was to start with 1 sip from a 1 ounce cup every 15 minutes. See how your body tolerates it. If it tolerates it well, then move to 1 sip every 14 minutes, then 13, and so on and so forth. It is a process but you will find your limit within a day or two. One of the one ounce cups should probably take you 2-3 sips to get through, although everyone is different so test that out. If you feel a new pain after your sip, stop and let it fully go away before taking another sip. I think these steps should help anyone with their water intake. Using those steps I was able to find my limit, then I would gradually increase it to my comfort level. I'm just about 3 weeks post op and I'm able to drink about 10-12 ounces an hour or so. It's really important you listen to your body though. The good thing is, as of week 4 your stomach should be healed up and your chance of it bursting/popping is significantly reduced at this point.