Jobber

I think it could depend on how long ago you started the pre-op diet from your first nutritional visit. If you're already used to drinking shakes, etc, then the 2 week pre-op diet shouldn't be too hard, you're just adding a couple more shakes to the day and eating some yogurt, popsicles, etc. My nutritionist considered cottage cheese to be a liquid, so I took full advantage of that fact. I only had to do clear liquids the day before and the week after surgery. Just make sure you stay busy and the two weeks will go by fast enough. You'll be too excited for the upcoming procedure to worry about eating anyways. Drink more water than you ever have before too, that helps a ton. Good luck to you

During soft phase I was addicted to refried beans with salsa on top. No need for cheese, I think. You don't need much else during that phase anyways as the beans will be filling and delicious.

1500 per day in 500 mg increments and it cannot be taken within 2 hours of taking iron supplement.

The Multivitamin One sold by Bariatric Pal store is my favorite so far. The Celebrate made me super nauseous as did the Bariatric Advantage.

This is one of those things that I still struggle with. It burned me, though. I was rushing trying to get out the door the other day and just crammed some turkey lunch meat down my stupid throat and ran out the door. I thought I was going to die right there on my front lawn. I was actually scared and thought I should try to make myself throw up. Long story short, I'm 3 months post-op and I still haven't figured out how to slow it down, I spent the first 4 decades of my life speed eating garbage that it's really hard to break this habit, even with healthy food. My advice would be to really make an effort, when you're just out of surgery up until 2 or 3 months out, your body will force you to slow down.

You know, I started wondering if it was just me or if because I had a cold not too long ago, but the cold has passed and my voice is still deeper than it was before. Maybe all that fat was pressing on my chords so much it didn't allow a deeper vibration, not sure, but I lost a lot of neck fat that I used to have, so there may be something to it. I can tell you one thing, i'm commanding more respect with the deeper voice lately.

Everything was such a blur that I probably over-packed like some others. They're checking you so often, that bringing obstructive things like PJs become troublesome. Also, I wouldn't bring anything that you're going to associate later with the pain you may experience while being in that place. The gas pains were friggin horrible... I can no longer drink vitamin water because of this. Ultimately, most folks are only there one night, you'll survive with what they have for you there, it's not like you're on a survival show. Save all your comfort prep for going home. Just my 2 cents... Good luck to you!

I only told a few coworkers that I was having a procedure and I really didn't want to discuss it. They're going to figure it out anyways once you start rapidly losing weight, people are smart.

I feel guilty because I've been doing it for so long since last September, but I just stopped logging all my meals. I'm pretty much in a rhythm now in regards to what I'm eating and I'm still dropping at a slow but steady rate. Logging is just very cumbersome as it has been for these last several months, but part of me is going to worry about what could happen now that I have stopped. My surgery was in March and I stopped in May. I'd love to hear from some vets as to how they decided to stop or keep going with logging and why. TIA

Thanks for everyone's replies, it means a lot to get this kind of great feedback. Logging was never a chore for me once it became a habit, but I found that i really wasn't using the information for anything. I was a professional chef and I've studied nutrition as well in my younger days, so knowing what I should eat has never been an issue. What I was looking for is maybe some reinforcement that logging is good for maintaining weight loss and if you don't do it, you'll fail. I'm not sure I really got that but what I got is that everyone has their own reasons for logging and that's kind of what I was hoping for. If everyone said the same thing, I may be like, "well sh*t, maybe I should get back on it". Thanks all, really appreciate it.

This thread is very interesting to me and surprising. My dietitian had me start the full regiment 3 months prior to surgery.

I just switched from Celebrate chewables to the BariatricPal Multivitamin One. The Celebrate used to make me super nauseous, and you had to take two of them. The Bariatric Pal version is only one tablet and the taste is much better. The Celebrates were so bad that I had to extend my Rx for Zofran just to keep them down. Do yourself a favor and get a 30 day supply and try them out. This is not an endorsement for any kind of kickback, I truly have found them to be superior and I'm happy to support this product going forward, it's a game changer.

I used to drink nothing but plain water all the time prior to surgery or even thinking about surgery. I was pretty good about it and most days got up to about a gallon a day. Since the surgery I'm doing nothing but water with flavor packets and one cup of decaf every day. I'm not sure if this is a side effect of my surgery about 7 weeks ago or the fact that I started using flavoring packets after surgery and haven't gone back and now I ruined it for myself. Any thoughts on this subject? TIA

My go to's for that phase were Pureed roasted veggies like cauliflower, butternut squash, beets, and sweet potatoes. Pureed fresh fruits like mango, strawberries (sieve for seeds), bananas, etc. I also liked FF cottage cheese, yogurt, SF jello and SF pudding. I hated the broth, I still have several packets of that awful bone broth everyone raves about....yuck... 🤢 For the pureed fresh produce, I recommend getting the Nutri-Ninja. That thing will puree a brick if you tried, I think.

I started and still drink to this day since last September is anything from Body Fortress using unsweetened almond milk as the base. I liked Isopure, but its too expensive. I did find Xtend Chocolate Lava to be great and cheap as well. Hope this helps.

My spouse didn't know enough about the WLS process in order to know about supporting the idea when it came up. Fortunately, it was not originated by me, it was by my PCP, but there was still a lot of hesitation. I actually had to play it cool for a few months until the idea gained traction. She would ask me if I had thought about the decision and I would be like, "I"m just going to go to the nutrition sessions and learn more, you're welcome to come along" and any possible moment that I could get her there, I would always make it feel like her decision. After a few months of this, I finally saw my moment and took it. She was totally on board by then, but had I not been patient through the whole process, pardon the pun, I don't think I would have gained the support I received and still have to this day 7 weeks post-op. I hope this helps, good luck.

I really feel for you @GradyCat on this one. My fear is the same so I got rid of my scale. Now I only weigh in at Dr. appointments. I have at least one appointment every couple months until next year, so I know I will be weighed each time. I think spacing out measurements is going to help me with my obsession over this. It was definitely becoming a problem and now getting rid of the scale feels like a weight off my shoulders, no pun intended...

I just had an appointment with my nutritionist for the 1 month follow up and I brought the patches up because I have such an issue with nausea with the tablets. I barely got the sentence out of my mouth before she said "absolutely not" to using the patch. She said there's not enough scientific evidence that they have the same benefit as taking the chewables and that it was not right for me. If i have to continue the Zofran in order to get the vitamins down, then keep refilling it, but "do not buy them or use them" was the clear message I received. Just FYI, I know this site sells them and I'm not trying to do them a disservice by any means.

⬆️ 100% this. I had the worst issue with acid the first week after surgery and it felt like hunger almost. That will resolve itself, don't miss your PPI medicine.

I kept mine private and only told HR and my supervisor that I was having a procedure done and that I didn't want to discuss it. They left it alone, but the hardest part wasn't hiding the nature of the procedure, it comes when you have to do liquids and purees during your lunchtime. I am fortunate enough to be close to the microwave at work so being able to heat up vegetable and meat purees was a quick thing for me, but I also have to smell it when someone burns the popcorn too....

I like how you said that... "get the tool installed" that is exactly how you should think about it because if you don't use the tool, it's not going to use itself as many here can attest...

BTW, everyone has their own preferences, but I've tried a lot of the protein powders. Body Fortress has the cheapest (on Amazon) and best tasting in my opinion. ISOpure is good, but twice the price of Body Fortress. Walmart just started carrying the Body fortress as well. Just FYI.

I'm a month out from WLS. I wish someone had told me that will still like candy and salty/fatty things and not to cheat ever or it's all going to be for naught. I didn't spend $14K for a new life just to ruin it again. You'll still need just as much discipline to break head hunger and breaking bad habits as you did before. I don't even want a snack sometimes, but I'm still standing in front of the refrigerator staring into the shelves looking for something that I don't need or want. It's very hard to get past that....VERY HARD...

Go very slow the first couple weeks. You'll know soon enough. One bite too many will be slightly painful, so go slow and look for signals. For some it's a little burp, some its a tightness, ever increasing, some it's pain. You'll be fine. Good luck to you

Same, my surgeon said the second the pee is orange, call him asap, if it happens. I've been fortunate enough to stay hydrated using water flavorings to keep me drinking. the best so far has been the powdered propel. Good luck and call your Dr ASAP!!!