Sigh

Congratulations on your hard work and success— thank you for coming back to share your story and offer words of encouragement for those of in the beginnings (or further down the road!) of our journey with WLS.

Try your best to stick with fresh food- and ask for no sugar in sauces at restaurants. There is a HUGE diet culture here, dont be fooled by labels that say low carb or keto- check the numbers on the back of boxes/package for sure if you do chose to eat any packaged foods.

Congratulations on your surgery and your loss! You will do great, the patience will pay off. Good luck as you start this next phase.

Hi there!

I am 4 weeks post op from my VSG.

I started at 195, lost 12 lbs pre surgery, and 15.4 lbs since surgery. So down 27.4 lbs total. I am now at 167.4. I am hoping to lose 10 lbs in the month of April, to get me to 158 by end of the month.

I’m am just coming out of soft foods phases, and am taking it very slow— still very focused on getting fluids in. I have been drinking two Protein Shakes a day with several VERY small “meals” a day- but am starting to think through how i can up my Protein with real food and drop to one shake a day.

No real hunger driving me, just trying to get the basics down before branching out too much on the food.

Thank you!

Hi - I am looking for some assistance. I will be traveling through Europe for the month of June- and want to try to find a Protein Shake powder that comes in indiv. Packets. Have you found any you really like? I usually use pure Protein or premier shakes to get my protein as I haven’t moved to soft food yet, but an thinking it may be good to make sure i have something I can eat if finding options proves tough. I will be four months out when we leave. Trying to keep packing light.

Thanks in advance for any recommendations or other travel tips!

Congratulations! I am so happy for you.

I have clothes in all the sizes up and down too— i realized i needed help when i had to keep going bigger. I’m a month out and have retired several sweaters I just got at Christmas, a pair of work slacks and a pair of Jeans. Hoping to have enough on hand as i work my way down… but totally agree to buy used. eBay, Mercari, PoshMark— local consignment stores are my best friends anyway. Never hurts being green- but especially when you are changing sizes.

Have fun!

Ive had this happen twice in life— after having a baby and second time after loosing a lot of weight on low carb diets— the hair does grow back and it doesnt last forever- take extra good care of your hair in the meantime, and maybe try a thickening Shampoo. Other than that, up your Protein and take Biotin.

Good to know, my kids love panera, so now that i know they have a healthy option we can go together when i get a little further down the road.

Welcome, and good luck!

My doctors advised against counting as part of Protein count.

I went with Mayortena vs Fok because he specialized- I like specialist that focused on one type of surgery, vs a variety of different surgeries (ie hair loss), so I think its personal based on your perspective. If my heart is having issues, I’m going to a heart specialist. Decide what you are comfortable with.

Ive gotten Bariatric pal Vitamins from amazon…

Lip balm. I also heard a heating pad, although i didnt take one.

I am 3 weeks out, and this is the hardest- I am so used to “washing” my mouth out with Water after a meal. I think im going to have to wean myself off this habit— or maybe brush my teeth, or attempt rinse and spit situation. I just like feeling like my teeth are at least rinsed off…

Three weeks past surgery date— I was able to put a ring on that I haven’t been able to wear in 5 years. The inflammation in my joints is finally calming down!

YAY!

Worst case, fall back to broths- they have Swanson’s sipping broths, or even carry with you Soups. At restaurants, go with soups, or refried Beans with melted cheese or maybe mashed potato? I’m still in puréed foods and i have sugar free Jello and sugar free pudding cups too, maybe apple sauce cups. I also found these tuna packs (Starkist tuna in olive oil) or soft salmon pouches that im trying as i move into soft foods. Good luck!

I was a self pay in Mexico, and while the team gave me calorie goals and suggested foods, I dont have a strong idea how I am going to continue on this weight loss journey without a nutrional team. I have contact my insurance and am getting a referral for local nutrionist for more personal support, but does anyone have a good book recommendation for moving to stage 4? I do have a good Vitamin regime and can leverage the doctors in Mexico, but would like something more local as time goes on. I’m still in purée stage, so thought planning ahead might be a good idea.

Let me know, thanks for reading.

Ive read that THC actually binds to fat, so the heavier you are the more time it may need to clear from your system. you should be fine- if you continue to abstain til May. But I would advocate for being honest with your doctors regardless, they have your best interests in mind. (I dont smoke, but my son does and we had to do this research for his sleep study). We got him set for testing on time, but shared the information with doctors so they were aware.

Sounds like hypoglycemia -i had a few episodes like that in thepast,even to the point of throwing up. I could feel the sweat rising up my neck. It sucked. Good luck figuring it out,

Yay! Look forward to hearing from you afterwards!

Way to go! That is a BIG difference and you should be VERY proud of your accomplishments—remember they’re areMANY ways to win aside from a number on the scale! You are killing it! Congratulations and keep up the greatwork!

Totally agree- go by measurements— and take some pictures. Compare that vs scale.

Oh no! I hope you feel better soon. I’m about 17 days post op, and full is still a feeling that im learning— dont want to push,and am being careful. I think listening to your body is best and it may be that three tiny bites is all it was ready for that moment— take small bites through the day in the first stages for sure. Jello worked well in the first stage for me because it basically liquifies on the way down. Maybe try that?