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It seems to be a fairly common trend in those first couple weeks. Make sure you don't forget to get your Protein in. It is understandable to jump on the scale frequently. I weigh every morning since surgery. 12 days & 18 pounds. It's a crazy ride.

I can remember those first few days this being the case with me, too. I guess it takes a little while to get all the surgery meds out of your system.....combined with the fact that your body is trying to heal and recover.

Yeah, man. I can see where it all changes in regard to grocery shopping. Shopping for me will consist of more frequent trips where I make a quick walk around the permitter of the store and hit the checkout. No more than 5 minutes.

Yesterday was my 11th day post-op. My wife was feeling down from hearing about a death in her family. I was on deck for ensuring everyone got fed. I went to Arbys and loaded up on the insanely delicious brisket sandwiches they bombard TV with on their ads. Everyone seemed happy. Grabbed some Cookies later from a local spot that makes the best. Took them home to my wife. Cheered her up a little. Took my son to a friends birthday party......picked him up at 10:00pm where he said they had pizza & cake yet he was miraculously hungry again. We went through the drive through at my favorite spot on Earth....BoJangles. He had a box of chicken sitting in his lap and couldn't stand it....1/2 way home he asked to eat. I laughed at him and said to dig in. He cut the overhead light on and destroyed that yardbird, biscuit and my favorite drink....a Diet Dew. Needless to say he wasn't done by the time we reached the house so I sat in the driveway with him and waited on him to finish. I am planning on cooking or grilling something for them for lunch today. My wife is one of those blessed folks who has always been the recommend weight on the height-weight chart....or close to it. Our son is a teenage carnivore. He's tall and overly lean. We keep him well fed....yet he's got the metabolism of three. I say all the above to simply say this: I am constantly seeing HD TV food commercials and have been surrounded by my prior favorite foods and held prisoner seated beside Teenage T-Rex as he enjoys them. It is no biggie. I'm still having Protein shakes as my only meals, 12 days post-op. I don't feel deprived or hungry. I"m not feeling like I'm missing out. I'm thrilled by the readings on the scale every morning. It feels better than any food could ever taste.

Man......there is no doubt that you are going to be a rock solid success. You've got a great perspective and super attitude.

I can only speak from my experiences. My doc said I could drive as soon as I was free and clear of the pain meds he prescribed. Honestly the only reason I even took the post-op pain med was due to soreness from an umbilical hernia repair done at the same time as the sleeve. I continue to have zero trouble from my sleeve surgery. That part was simply breeze. I drove to my first follow-up appointment on Day 6. I'd been going stir crazy in the house and it felt GREAT to get behind the wheel of my little Nissan truck. I distinctly remember thinking I should have driven sooner. You are going to have a few smallish incision sites in your abdomen that are going to take a while to heal. I'd be very careful not to be lugging around anything more than 5 lbs. Yesterday was Day 11 for me and I'd run by a local spot and picked up two gallons of their diet lemonade. I can't stress how heavy those two jugs felt as I carried them from my truck to the kitchen. Crazy scenario as I'm a fairly strong guy.....but have been weak with this dang hernia repair. If it wasn't for the hernia I'd already be back at work. You are going to do great.

I have been told in our seminar classes by a couple former patients of the center (who are at goal and living there) that being malnourished in terms of proper Protein and Vitamins will have mental effects on top of the physical impact. They said that getting back on track didn't take long and they felt better in mind, body and spirit. I've heard enough from these veterans and those on this site to not dabble with this, but to simply follow the plan and reap the rewards. It's so simple....at least from my perspective.

Do I smoke weed ? Nope, but damn......some days I sure think about picking up the habit the week I retire. Already planning on having a nice garden out back where I can grow some vegetables.......might as well have several ganja plants, too.

Outstanding !!!!!!

Same here, although we were allowed tea or coffee-two cups a day. Surgeon told us in class that we could have 3 Protein shakes a day. The nutritionists later told us in another class that if we were going bonkers we could add 2 more shakes a day if needed. Most days I stuck to 4 shakes and lots of Water.

Not everyone slacks off on their Vitamins just because they don't care. I couldn't and still can't tolerate them- they make me horribly nauseated and I throw up over and over after taking them. I can't tell you how many times I've been pulled over on the side of the road on my way to work vomiting from a Vitamin I took. And Protein shakes gave me the runs after a while. Diarrhea galore. So for someone already struggling to get enough food and Water, puking and diarrhea just weren't going to fly. I tried liquid vitamins, gummies, swallowing them.... They all make me sick. Flinstones is so far the only kind. I'm trying to get as much vitamin from my food as possible by eating a wide variety of vegetables and fruits. I even have have sympathy for the op. It's hard to get used to this new regime. It sucks to have to take medication every day. Hopefully they will find ways to make it easier and keep up with it. Point taken. Most of these type posts, however, appear to be from folks who are simply unwilling to put forth the effort...not that their body is rejecting vitamins. If I had all the answers then I'd not have just gone through bariatric surgery myself. I just get frustrated when I see people proceed as if they don't have a clue. Was there no pre-op education at all ? Did they sleep through the classes ? Sorry, but it's an inexcusable scenario that allows someone to have significant body altering surgery but yet not demonstrating having basic instruction or coaching on the matter prior to having the surgery.

Awesome !!!!!!!!! It gets easier every day by large amounts.

Once you make the sincere decision to lose weight and get healthy....everything will fall in line. Using myfitnesspal.com is a cheap and easy way to track your calories, weight and exercise. I stress that it's free....and super easy to use. Nothing will motivate you like success will. That being said...go ahead and lose weight now. There are simple diets to follow and you will be acclimating yourself to the way of eating you'll be doing for the rest of your life when you are post-op. The simple diet consists of chicken, fish, meats, Greek yogurts, fresh vegetables, some whole grains and some cheeses and maybe nuts on occasion. Measure your food so you can input accurate amounts into the myfitnesspal tracker. Keeping the carb count down and eating at a calorie deficit (versus your bmr ) will absolutely lead to weight loss. Throw in some frequent walking and you are going to add to effect. Getting your mind wrapped around the needed changes and getting used to following a plan now will really help you later on. You are going to do great.

Howdy, Ryan ! I'm only 11 days out from my sleeve surgery so I can't really speak on eating or experiencing fullness. I have yet to eat anything. My surgeon runs us on the same 3-shakes-a-day diet we did on the 14 day pre-op diet for 3-4 weeks post-op. He stressed that it allows our new stomachs to heal before being taxed with working on real food. I can tell you that the pre-op liquid diet is much easier to follow now. Hunger almost never has occurred....and only in the mornings when it's been 12+ hours since my last Protein shake. I could see doing this for much longer with no issues. The pre-op diet was the hardest part about the surgery but it is for your safety during surgery. Make the best of it and get through it. Know that it'll be super easy to follow afterward.

You have come so far. Truly inspiring. It has to feel miraculous. Keep after it. Yu are changing your life in every way.

@Live43day you are going to do great. Your medical knowledge from your professional training will help you understand the science behind the diet and importance of following your surgeon's plan. Things I'd wished I known ahead of time: *There is nothing magical about the surgery. You have it and you follow the plan. Hunger isn't much of a factor later on and it make following the simple diet extremely easy. *There will likely be some weight gain during your brief hospital stay. It's not that you've done a thing in the world wrong and nobody is going to bark at you for it. It's just a few pounds and it come off QUICKLY. It's nothing more than IV, Fluid retention and some mild inflammation. Don't let it freak you out or bother you in any way. Mine was 8+ pounds and it was gone by the 6th day. It's expected and your surgeon sees it all the time. *Let the rest of the family be responsible for their own meals. Don't pull yourself into to kitchen if you don't need to be. Let them take care of themselves for a couple weeks and you just stick to your plan. It's not being antisocial.....it's just you keeping things simple for right now. *Walking is your friend. I was up 4 hours after surgery and didn't really want to be. My only reason was the soreness and pain from an umbilical hernia repair done at the time of my bypass, too. The sleeve never bothered me. Still hasn't at Day 11, either. The walking will help work out any residual gas you may have. *sleep as well as you can the 2 nights leading up to the surgery because it seems like their job in the hospital is to keep you awake. I kid you not they were in there taking my temp, checking my vitals or doing some task every few minutes....all night long. Funny stuff. *Don't get worked up about the surgery. Stay calm. It's going to go well. Some folks have anxiety because they are having "elective" surgery for weight loss. For me it was simple as I'd already had three prior weight related surgeries: ankle tendon repair that was blown out playing golf (heavy weight made it much worse on that ankle) and two umbilical hernia repairs (too dang heavy and big around the middle). More weight related surgeries would certainly follow over the years ahead if I didn't get the weight off. I was finally IN CONTROL by having this sleeve surgery. Taking a positive step to get things corrected. Yeah....I reached a nice calm state the days leading up to the surgery. *Sipping vs gulping. I'd read all about it....heard all about it.....didn't understand the concept at any real level unit post-op. A sip is a small amount. This little nugget of understanding took me some time to grasp. Even now....at Day 11, I reach for my Water glass and without thinking I'll take a huge swig out of it.....then stop and not swallow it but allow it to trickle down my throat. It's becoming an adopted behavior. So glad I haven't had to face the same principles while eating due to remaining on the "3 shakes per day" diet. I'll have to figure out eating in a few weeks. Glad I don't for now. *The scale is not broken. I'm a daily weigher. Most here don't advise it....nor do I. I simply can't not weigh. I'm stupid that way. During the early days in my bariatric program I bought a really nice scale. It's always read within ounces of what my doctor's scales read. It also talks. Leading up to the surgery I'd hope on it in the mornings and get my reading and roll along with it. Now.....sorry, I'm laughing right now as I type this......now, I get on it....get my reading....and shake my head and say no way, this thing is broken. I'll let it turn off. I'll restart it....zero it.....and then get on it again for a second....and third reading. The weight loss during the pre-op 14 day diet and post-op has been at a rate I'm not familiar with.....even when I was killing it on Atkins a few years ago. It will amaze you.

Completely understandable. It's hurry up and wait most of the time and then all the sudden it gets real. Stay calm by staying active and working your diet plan. Stay focused on the goal.....to lose weight. Doesn't matter if it's before surgery or after.....just work the plan and keep losing. You'll do great.

This is me. Ive been wondering how well I'll do with water after surgery, which is this wednesday. I'm a big water drinker. Probably 100 ozs a day. At least i have one thing in my favor, with the weather cooling off, it won't be as hot and shouldn't need as much. I can only speak from one perspective and one experience and that is simply my own. I was very pleased to have zero problems with drinking enough water to practically float. Cool. I'm sorry to post up my personal experiences in many threads, but it's all I can accurately speak to....my own experiences. I'll bet you will do great !!!!!

My opinion......from very, very, very little experience.......is that you are not in control. You are allowing your new stomach's capacity or restriction to be in control. It just does not seem safe in any way for you to be stress testing your new stomach that way. You need to be in control. Eat only what is safe and pre-measure the quantities you are supposed to have. Every bite has to count and should be of safe and nutritious food. Nutritious equates to being of high-Protein. These sleeves may help us at some point due to the their restrictive purposes......but if that is the only thing that guides us then we are doomed to fail and having the surgery is a waste of time. In time you will be able to eat a cup of food. If it's garbage food like Pasta then why did you bother with the surgery in the first place???? Again, my experience is extremely limited with the sleeve, but my understanding of the principles involved in this came through simply listening to my surgeon. Simple plans don't take a great deal of work to understand. It's a very straightforward process.....why go and complicate it ? Those papers she handed you may very well be all the information you need at this point. Our post-op diet isn't very involved. It only gets that way when folks seem to want to go back to their old ways. Tap into your motivations to have the surgery. Let them rally your discipline to adhere to the simple plan. Get back in control and stay there.

Your surgery is on THURSDAY !!!!! The pre-op diet is for your safety during surgery. I'd be less worried about seeking validation than I would be with having a safe surgery. I would contact your surgeon asap and be honest with them. Perhaps there is a more restrictive liquid only diet that you could follow up until then. I sure as hell wouldn't want to go into surgery, only to wake up in recovery and find that that your procedure wasn't done. It's much better to delay and be safe than to proceed if you know you clearly aren't ready. Only you and your surgeon can make these determinations.

I'm also 11 days post-op. I'm under orders from surgeon to continue with the 3 shakes a day and non-calorie liquids until my next appointment on November 9th. I am so dang glad, too. I am not ready to be figuring out the food thing just yet. I like my simple plan for now. I bought a food scale and more sets of measuring cups to help with the process once it is time.

Ouch ! Play it safe.......call your doc and proceed accordingly.

I worried about this, too. Most of my life I've been a huge Water drinker. Even as a kid I can remember being at friend's houses and they'd comment on how often I'd ask to get some water. I almost quit football due to idiot coaches who'd used water rationing as a motivator. I carry around a water bottle at work all the time. I say all that to say this: I was very concerned about this leading up to my surgery...perhaps more concerned about this than any other aspect. I'm 11 days post-op and can say with great confidence that me drinking enough water is not going to be a problem. Day 1 in the hospital it was just ice chips and I was highly concerned. Second day I was on pace for 4 oz of water an hour and I had to chart it. Day 2 I drank around 80 oz Day3-11 I've been drinking just as much water as I wanted....on par with what I did prior to surgery. Those first couple days may be weird.....but I'm betting you'll come through like a champ and be able to have no issues meeting your water goals. Hang in there.

The fact that the OP hasn't responded to the thread speaks volumes. It is absolutely disgusting to read of the ignorance that is posted, over and over again. Patients who either have no clue.....or those who are pushing the limits so soon after surgery. I don't get it. Ignorance and stupidity. At least those that are ignorant to the proper way to eat post-op can possibly be coached up and brought around to engaging in healthy behaviors. The stupidity.....that is another story. People doing boneheaded stuff that they know is unsafe. It is freaking sad.

Well done. Good times coming.