Tony B - NJ

Really have to get with the nutritionist and start from scratch. Reset your pouch and get back on the program.

They have great salads but beware the calories.....

I had a similar experience pre-op. Thankfully, I have not had huge return to hunger and cravings in the 6 months since my surgery. I think a lot has to do with my water intake. I drink an obscenely high amount of water which I think keeps me relatively full feeling. I taper off the water about 45 minutes before meal time, have my meal, wait another 45 minutes and hit the water again. Follow what the team tells you to do and you will end up losing a lot of weight. I am 96 down and looking at losing another 12-15 and levelling off. Good luck.

Oh no...I was certainly not trying to be patronizing. My apologies if you took it that way. I was just pointing out that the WLS nutritionists and doctors consider carb intake reduction when they come up with these eating plans. I had no intention of being flip at all.

I am sure you did it without knowing. There are a lot of foods built into these reccomendations that are carb heavy to avoid. Most obvious is bread. I am sure you did not consume the same amount of bread before and after the surgery. Bread is the #1 enemy when it comes to carbs. Same with pasta and rice. Most weight loss plans eliminate these or replace with different types like soy, chickpea, lentil etc.

Just to make sure you are doing all the right things: 1. Are you tracking every single thing you eat? 2. Are you getting a minimum of 60 g of protein 3. Are you drinking a minimum of 64 oz of water (MINIUMUM) 4. Are you exercising atleast 45 minutes a day 5. Are you cutting almost all your carb out of your diet? 6. Do you take in any sugar? If so, are you keeping it super low? 7. Are you eating LOW fat?

My doctor told me that that was not going to be an issue for the approval when I was getting it. These preliminary things are just a loophole you have to jump through to get the surgery. I seriously doubt the Doctor is going to submit for approval if he thinks it will be rejected. I am sure he or she will make it work to get it approved. I think the point the insurance company makes is discipline. Why spend 20K to give someone surgery who does not have the determination to keep the weight off or get the weight off.

My doctor told me that that was not going to be an issue for the approval when I was getting it. These preliminary things are just a loophole you have to jump through to get the surgery. I seriously doubt the Doctor is going to submit for approval if he thinks it will be rejected. I am sure he or she will make it work to get it approved. I think the point the insurance company makes is discipline. Why spend 20K to give someone surgery who does not have the determination to keep the weight off or get the weight off.

I am almost 7 months out and I take in about 800-1000 calories per day and that is a struggle. I am not hungry and snack only to get my calories up. I walk 4-5 miles a day and drink around 80 ounces of fluids per day. I am really particular about what I eat. If I do not have a good reason why I am eating it, I skip it. For instance, if I am not getting protein or it has a lot of carbs or fat, I am not interested in it. I think it is a mental game as well as physical. I truly could not imagine 1800 calories any time soon.

very weird that they have you on full liquids for that long. I was only on full liquids for a couple days then to puree.

You should be able to eat anything that you can puree in a blender at this stage. Whatever you can stand blended up has to be better than what you are eating now. I tried pureed pea soup, pureed tuna fish and canned chicken, pureed carrots, even baby food in the jar would give you some different flavors and go down OK.

I agree with most everything everyone has to say on here with one exception. You MUST do more exercise. I don't care if it is just slow walking for an hour a day, even if it is broken up over 3 or 4 sessions, but you have to exercise and keep moving. If you are not exercising at your stage you are going to plateau. You have to do more than you were doing at the heavier weight to burn off calories. Your BMR is getting lower, meaning your body is using less calories for basic functioning than before you you have to make up that difference as you lose weight. You are in some type of calorie burning/intake equilibrium. How about resistance training, weights, bands etc. Anything that creates calorie burn is seriously needed at this point. Of course this is assuming you are tracking and controlling your food and calorie intake.

I have finally reached One-derland after 6 months post surgery. I have lost 94 pounds now and am resetting my goal to 190. I am feeling so good and look like I did when I was in my 30s (I am 58). If you are just starting out, stick with it. It is worth all the suffering and dedication.

I lost a lot more weight in the first 3 months than the last 3. I have been steady at 6-8 pounds a month since after the 3rd month. I hope to continue at 4-5 pounds a month until I hit my ideal weight which would pretty much be at my one year point.

I have been prone to vomiting a couple times a month after eating too fast or having water too close to meals. If It hurts a lot I have made myself vomit to relieve that feeling. It is not frequent and like someone said in this thread, it is not like pre surgery vomiting. It is usually just foam and just easier and less disgustnig.

Just follow the plan the surgeon gave you. I think the shakes and the one meal a day is what I did pre surgery and it worked very well. I think this is just for the liver shrink anyway.

It is just water weight and your body adjusting to the lack of food. It is hoarding both water and calories for now. Keep the faith, it will start to come off. I know it is frustrating, it was that way for me too....it actually still is frustrating when I plateau for a week or two....I am down 93 pounds and I still get frustrated after 6 months. Hang in there.

Every day from here on out get better. You will be doing things and moving in ways you have not done in many years. Get up, move, walk and help get things going for yourself. You will be amazed at the progress if you put some work into it.

Congrats....keep trying on smaller clothing...You will be surprised that even though you don't think the weight loss is high enough to move sizes, your body is changing and you are getting smaller in places you do not realize. Your sizes are going to change rapidly. It is exciting to see the clothing sizes drop and extremely motivating.

From my experience, after the surgery, I was not hungry for a couple months. I was eating the amount the doctor recommended and could not even get one drop more in me. I get hungry now but I make a conscious effort to not eat. I see the weight that I have lost over this past 6 months and I do not want to go back. When I eat something I always determine if the calories, fat and carbs are worth it. I eat only to nourish myself and rarely treat myself because that is a slippery slope to overeating. I still reach my restriction pretty quickly so it is hard to over eat without feeling like hell or getting sick. I really focus on water during the day to keep myself hydrated and full. If I drink a lot of water then I don't have the urge to eat and even if I did, there is very little room for food. I was a big eater, multiple portions of the main course and snacks before bed. I stick to my portions and if I do eat a snack it is nuts, sugar free pudding or some other lean type snack.

Remember you did have something sent down your throat during the surgery and it may just be a little inflamed. I had a hoarse throat for a week or so but it ended up just fine. The device that goes down the throat is what they use to shape your poach so they can cut and staple it from outside the stomach.

Make sure you have a change of compression stockings. The hospital will give you one set to take with you. You really should wear them for the first week or so to prevent clots. Make sure you get up and walk, walk, walk as soon as they say you can in the hospital. Most likely within a couple hours of getting out of the recovery room. You will be glad you did. Force liquids....

You have to do all of the things that the surgeon and nutritionists say. Drink, drink, drink #1, make sure you are getting a MINIMUM of 60g of protein per day, more if possible. Try drinking protein shakes between meals instead of water if you are still hungry. protein will help with the hunger feeling. Just tough it out just a little longer...it gets much, much easier in the 2nd and 3rd month. Remember..drink 64 oz minimum per day, 60-80 g of protein minimum. If you don't do those things it will be more difficult for you.

Only caveat here is to not drink just before a meal so you are not full on water. I usually stop drinking 30 minutes before eating. I drink nearly constantly all day besides that.