Smanky

Honestly, we're living in a vegan renaissance, so there's a plant based alternative for almost everything these days. My best advice is to go in at a pace that's comfortable and don't beat yourself up if you can't quit it all at once. I'm a firm believer in doing what you can, and acknowledging that nothing is perfect. Think about what you know you'll really miss (for most people, that's cheese and/or bacon) and tackle that last. Not everyone can do cold turkey! There's so many dairy alternatives now that you can pick and choose to suit. I personally prefer soy and oat, and use protein fortified soy milk now that I'm post-op for the extra protein. And try different brands - one brand's soy/oat/almond might be delicious, while another is undrinkable! There are also excellent vegan cheese options these days. Miyoko's Creamery is a US brand and make good stuff, including a divine butter. I know you're in Florida, but you may have something similar to this near you: https://www.thespruceeats.com/vegan-cheese-5090419 Those Texas cheeses look good, and the article also lists other good plant cheeses in the US. Lots of yoghurt and other dairy options available now too. Meat! There's some vegan meat available now that are SO DAMN REAL that I actually feel sick when they're cooking they smell so realistic. Beyond and Impossible Burger both do freakishly beef-like beef, and Omni do pork. I would also urge you to hit up your local Chinese supermarket (I know you call it something else in the US ... grocer?) and check out their vegan meats because Chinese vegan companies work some kind of sorcery here. You'll find superb faux chicken, roast duck, char siu pork and even fish. They also have bacon, as do other western brands. If you have a Trader Joes or Wholefoods near you, I imagine you'll be spoiled for choice in their plant-based offerings! Eggs! Yeah... there's really no substitute here, sorry. Effort has been made, and you can get passable fried eggs, but a nice poached egg is and will likely remain unattainable. That said, a bangin' vegan scramble can be home made using well drained medium tofu crumbled, and flavoured with a little turmeric, black salt (important - kala namak is sulfurous so gives that eggy taste, but use sparingly!), dijon mustard and cracked pepper. Add mushrooms and spring onions for extra flavour. It's not a dupe for scrambled eggs, but it's tasty and a great protein rich breakfast. The other thing is: get excited about food, because there's new stuff coming out almost every other week! Vegans get ridiculously excited about food, I think because we remember the dark days, in the before-times, when all vegan food was punitive and we had to be content with bran muffins and sadness. Apologies for the novella, and I hope I helped!

As others have said - pre-op diet is the hard-yards. You're on a crash-diet, and your body is going through withdrawals which is why it feels SO awful. The sudden cutting of sugar, carbs and calories is a real whammy for your system, so headaches and malaise and hunger pain is normal. Post-surgery it will be different! You'll have come out the other end of withdrawals, and hunger should be paused for a good few months. And remember there's LOTS of long-termers on here thriving on reduced calories. Totally doable!

I've been vegan for six years and vegetarian before that for 32 years. It's super easy to go vegan these days (compared to when I first attempted it back in the late 90s). What do you want to know? How to transition?

Protein water. I double-up on both my protein and water that way, without feeling like an overfilled balloon all day. And as others have suggested, just keep taking a mouthful of water every five minutes or so. It gets easier with time.

Yep, my incisions drove me mad with the itching - and unlike the itching from healing tattoos, you can't slap the area for relief! I took antihistamines and used cold packs held against the incision area, which helped immensely! Like me, you also may be a bit allergic to the bandage adhesive. My itching lasted about a week and a half, unfortunately. I hope yours goes away faster!

The whole idea behind my nutritionist's 6-meals-per-day plan is to gradually increase the quantity per meal so that eventually I'll be able to eat one cup of food per meal three times a day. The six meals are 1/4 cup each, building up to 1/2 cup and so forth. I don't think any post-surgery plan is forever, they're all meant to shepherd you into your new normal. And plans vary wildly between surgeons, as mentioned above. There's no one rule beyond sticking to the plan your surgeon gives you.

I've stalled three times in the two months since my surgery. It happens and is just part of the journey. The weight is coming off - stay off the scale for a week and as others have suggested, up your calories and switch up your exercise. It will break.

Fellow Mini Gastric Bypasser/Omega Looper here! Congrats on getting yours! My main focus is getting in my protein and water, which I double-up on with protein water twice a day (28g protein each), and protein-fortified soy milk (10g per 250ml). Then my supplement vitamins just before bed so I don't risk accidentally washing them through my system with water. My routine is protein water as soon as I get up, and another in the afternoon. I have regular water and protein-fortified soy unsweetened matcha lattes (maximum of 2) throughout the rest of the day, leaving spaces for solid food. Since you've just come out of hospital, you're still on liquids, so you've likely been told to have protein shakes. If you can tolerate them (I tried my best, but after six weeks, I just couldn't do the shakes anymore so switched to just protein water), then you'll skate through, but if you can't then keep protein water in mind.

Congrats! Gotta love a milestone!

I'm almost 2 months out from a Mini Gastric Bypass/Omega Loop, and I still struggle to eat more than 1/4 cup of food twice a day. I'm supposed to be trying for 6 times a day, increasing to 1/2 a cup, but it is just not happening for me yet. That said, I have managed to increase the amount a little, and now hover between 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup, depending on what the food is. I still can only manage that 2 to 3 times a day though. My nutritionist tells me not to stress about it, and just concentrate on hitting my protein, water and daily supplements, which I do. Thank god for protein water, or I'd be in trouble! That's just me though - a lot of folk seem to have an easier time of it!

I think I'm adding coconut to my break-up list. I've had two quite strong negative reactions to coconut so far, with plain unsweetened coconut probiotic yoghurt, and just now I tried the tiniest taste of the coconut cream in a cake treat I bought for my partner. I'm talking a taste the size of a large pinhead. Same response as I had to the yoghurt - it is WAY too rich and almost makes me physically shudder. I've not tried savoury coconut yet, but this doesn't bode well for Thai yellow curry down the line!

A kilogram and a half per week is a lot of loss. I would have maybe lost about that much myself in my pre-op - maybe even a little less. You also weigh less than I did at my surgery weight. Relax. You'll be fine. If you stuck to your diet, your liver will have shrunk. Best advice pre AND post-op is don't obsess over the scales and don't compare your weight loss rate to others. We're all different. Hospital packing - comfy clothes to leave hospital in, toothbrush and paste, face and hands moisturisers (hospital air just sucks moisture out), phone charger. I took my Kobo e-reader but couldn't concentrate with all the painkillers etc.

Beware of ordering a bunch of protein drinks before surgery. My tastes changed post-surgery and the protein shakes I was happily drinking pre-surgery became intolerably sweet. I now have two giant tubs of the stuff that I wasted my money on, as I can now only tolerate one flavour of the protein water I use. In glorious hindsight, I wish I'd just bought a small container to trial! My uncontrollable need to have a plan backfired on me.

I despise the shakes, so I feel you! Have you looked into protein water? I'm currently getting my 60+grams from a protein water that is 28g per serve (I have two a day, 800ml total liquid), and then using protein fortified soy milk (10g protein per 250ml) in unsweetened matcha lattes. If you drink dairy, look for a protein fortified one. The protein water I use is an Australian brand, but I've no doubt that you have many, many more choices over in the US.

I'm really surprised that you were given a sleeve with pre-existing GERD and gastritis. My surgeon talked me right out of a sleeve because of mine. What did your surgeon say about it? Were you offered a choice?

It's normal to hurt for the first week or so after surgery. It's major surgery, and you are also recovering from multiple stab wounds from the endoscopic sites. Some folks bounce back quicker, but it took me a good two weeks to stop hurting.

I would honestly take a stay on the surgery and prioritise quitting smoking and getting bariatric therapy - then see about surgery. I'm a ex-smoker (and I was a HEAVY chain smoker for most of my adult life), and had quit two years prior to surgery. My surgeon is ADAMANT that I never touch the stuff again, or be around passive smoking because of the high risk of developing ulcers in my new stomach joins. And I have already had a bout of ulcers at my stoma join due to stomach acid, and it is truly unpleasant. So that risk has really bolstered my resolve to never go near tobacco again. It took me a good ten years to quit (cigarettes were my emotional crutch), on again off again until the nicotine patches no longer worked. I instead went to my doctor and was put on Champix. The nausea was a great deterrent and I threatened myself with another round if I touched another ciggie. Worked a treat and finally saw me quit properly. Might be worth considering if you're ready to give them the flick.

I don't think anyone goes into surgery without the ol' pre-surgery nerves! We are permanently altering our digestive system, so it's a big life change and that really hits like bricks in the weeks leading up! Stay busy, and keep your eyes on the prize, and keep the "why you're doing this" in your mind. Look at clothes you'd love to buy when you're smaller. Play computer games. Read. Excercise listening to podcasts or audiobooks. The puree stage was fine, but I was definitely grateful to be able to move onto solid food, even if my portions are absurdly small. Being able to chew on something was a boon. Just remember - the puree stage is only about 4 weeks, you'll be done and dusted in no time. The hardest part is the pre-op liver shrinking diet! I won't be touching alcohol for at least a year, and I'm okay with that. I socialised with friends two weeks ago and was the only sober one (sat on still water with a twist of fresh lime all night), and I still had a lot of fun. I've yet to eat with people who aren't my partner, but honestly it's no-one's business, not even my nearest and dearest. I take a plastic food container with me to cafes and restaurants and I pop what I can't eat in it and take it home. I've embraced being the Takeaway Queen. 👑 That you have your partner's full support is wonderful - yay for them! As for everyone else, it's not their business unless you want to tell them. I've told my immediate family, in-laws, and closest friends. No-one else needs to know. Good luck!

Initially I was given the water goal of 1200ml/40oz per day, which I had no trouble drinking. Slow going for sure, but totally doable, as water travels pretty quickly through the bypass. I've had a slow but steady water increase and can now do 1500ml per day at least. Some do struggle with the water however; there's no universal experience after a bypass so it can swing either way. I was fortunate that liquids haven't been an issue. My post surgery diet was 1 week liquid only, then pureed stage for 4 weeks, then soft-food stage for another 4 which I'm still currently on. I'm able to eat some raw veg, though, however I make sure to chew it into pulp. It's pretty evident pretty quickly when you've eaten something you're not really ready for. AND if you drink water too quickly - found that one out last night and won't be doing that again! Diets vary depending on the surgeon though. Has your dietician gone over it with you?

Depending on what food you mean, and what procedure you're having, a lot of food that got us all obese in the first place isn't on the post-op plan (for good reason). Some people who are in maintenance are able to pretty much eat normally (though still a balanced diet), but bypass and SADI folks especially need to be mindful of making nutritious choices due to the malabsorption factor. High carb, high sugar and high fat foods can also bring on dumping syndrome. Thankfully the surgery really helps a lot of folks with reigning in cravings, and bad food loses most of its allure. As for coffee, I was offered it in the hospital along with my water and broth, whereas others are told never-ever. So it seems to depend on your surgeon's team. Hopefully someone with experience with emotional eating issues can help you out there, and I'm sorry for your trauma. That's rough.

Look at you lookin' like a Scandinavian snack right there! 🤩

Not at all! I was busting a prevailing myth - clumsily, I realise. I apologise that it came off snippy (as I can see on a re-read)!

I had a large (unexpected) hiatal hernia repair with my bypass (dunno if the size of it mad a difference), and felt like I'd been hit by a bus during recovery. Took me a good two weeks to completely recover from it. Breathing in deep hurt. I'm glad it's fixed, but wow did I feel like a well-used punching bag for a while!

Hello, vegan bypasser reporting! The struggle to eat solid food is real, and so I haven't been able to explore food like I might have. I get my 60+ grams of protein currently via my morning shake and afternoon protein water (I loathe both, but have to do it). I make sure I bump that protein up with Vitasoy Protein Plus soy milk, which is 10g of protein per 250ml. So I use that in my shake, and also in my daily unsweetened matcha latte. That covers my protein so I don't have to worry about it - all other protein via food is a bonus. I relied on soups and blended stews in the liquid phase, and in the soft food stage I've been eating scrambled tofu with vegan bacon and scallions (added nutritional yeast), eggplant shakshuka (our fave vegan cafe does a delectable one), hummus and fresh veg, tvp bolognaise without the pasta, and vegan sausages and seitans. My dietician supplied a nice vegan plan that included high protein vegan burger patties, curries, vegan yoghurt ( which I cannot eat because they're too sweet for me now), kiwi fruit, homemade baked beans, vegan cheese, teriyaki tofu etc. I can barely eat a 1/4 cup at a time, and at most 3 times a day, so I often times will just eat what I crave - a slice of fresh tomato, or a bean, or just a spoonful of whatever I've prepared. And honestly for non-vegans: vegans have no trouble finding enough protein. The only thing we struggle to get enough of is vitamin B, plants have us covered on everything else!

I was born and raised in Queensland, and I bought a mango two days ago because it's almost automatic when fruit season hits! It's sitting in the fruit bowl, staring at me as I realise I'm super nervous to try it. My first fruit season and Christmas in Brisbane is going to be an interesting time! It ain't a QLD Christmas without summer fruit platters. 🤪 I'm yet to try fruit and I'm hoping my anti-sweet tastebuds won't apply to that! And like your mum with the oats, my partner has also been baffled at what I think is too sweet. Ordered a matcha latte at a cafe, and could not drink it because it had been sweetened. My partner took it off my hands and said it wasn't sweet at all. Swear to god it was!