NeonRaven8919

i started using soda water with my vodka and/or gin when i found out that tonic water had as much (if not more!) calories than a regular coke.
as for bubbly, i started drinking it (i.e., perrier) instead of plain water to meet my water goals around 3-4 months post op.
the literature i received told me i shouldn't drink carbonated beverages, but i did anyway and when i told my NUT what i was doing she didn't have any objections since i experienced no adverse effects.
personally i like how carbonated drinks make me burp, cuz sometimes i need a little help to release some gas.
but that's just me. ymmv.

Well hell, I'll weigh in on this one! Sleeved in August - Had my first drink in September (birthday) - Only a single drink and no issues and didn't have anything else until vacation in February - I was SUPER excited that I could actually drink a whole beer. Again, no issues, just feeling a bit bloated after one so that was a good thing.
Fast forward.... 2 years - I could drink like I used to. Mixed drinks like Martini's with no carbonation - like it's Water. Fizzy drinks like beer or white claws - a little slower, but I can keep pace pretty well. What HAS happened now though, I don't get that happy buzz. I go from "just fine" to "OMG, I'm hammered" at some point during the day with no in between. It's a VERY delicate balance to make sure I stay in the "just fine" category as I've found that when I hit the "OMG, I'm hammered" stage, I don't remember things the next day. Fortunately, I'm apparently a very happy drunk that doesn't do stupid things... but still - I hate that I can't hold it like I used to.

From what I gathered, most programs don't really give you a set calorie goal or exact amount of carbs and fat. Mine gave me a Protein goal 80-100g and to concentrate on hydration and Vitamins. Typically because of restriction, by the time you work around getting to the protein goal, carbs and fats work themselves out. That being said, I am 9 months out and typically have around 1000 cals a day, 80g protein avg, and 50g or less of carbs just because that's how it works out. I don't pay too much mind to fats.
Your loss is great and your rate of continuous loss of 1-2lbs a week is great. It definitely slows down as you lose and your body adjusts. Stalls are also common and don't last forever. It took me a month to lose 3lbs and then I lost 3lbs in a week after. It's just part of the process. Every body is different and even your own body will behave differently at different stages.

Oh no! 12 weeks is so long! Now that I think of it, this will likely be me also since I have no desire to completely opt out of the liquid diet in case a cancelation happens with someone else. I'm currently doing the shakes and a cup of low calorie Soup. Thank you for your message. 🤍

Fantastic! Well done! You look amazing!

4.5+ years out.
This one made me laugh way back then, and still does:

For those recommending medication over surgery:
I am having the SADI surgery on July 25th. I considered medications initially, however, most of them aren't covered by insurance; and if they are, the insurance approval process usually requires a diabetes diagnosis. While I have a BMI in the 50s, my A1C is extremely health, which means I would pay out-of-pocket.
The medications are intended as life-long commitments. Stopping them can have serious impacts including weight regain.
Out-of-pocket for the cheapest meds I encountered was $900 a month. Out-of-pocket for my procedure is one-time $19,000 (unfortunately, not covered by insurance)
If we look at the impact in 5 years of both...
Meds = $54,000
Procedure + Vitamins = $19,000 + $3,800 = $22,800
How about 10 years?
Meds = $108,000
Procedure = $19,000 + $7,600 = $26,600
The financial impact was a huge consideration for me.
Please understand that the decision to move to surgery is not quick or easy. The financial impacts and health impacts are serious and really should be discussed with a trained medical provider.
The purpose of this forum is to help guide others. We should be focused on the questions they're asking instead of offering an off-topic alternative. The OP made it clear in her posts that conversations with a trained medical professional led to the decision for another surgery. Shaking her confidence in medical guidance from her surgeon is not our place. We should accept that surgery is her path and give our own anecdotal experiences as references to help her understand what she might experience.

I told everyone I had the surgery. Most of my friends and family have watched me struggle for decades and have been supportive along the way, so I wanted them to be able to Celebrate with me! NONE of them think I took the easy way out because I'm very transparent about how HARD this is. I wanted to be able to encourage open dialogue about the surgery and reduce the stigma around it. Even people I don't know very well have been really accepting and encouraging and curious.... It has been interesting for me to experience. Sometimes people judge us less than we think they do. I have had a hard time most of my life dealing with other people's judgments of me. But I decided a few years ago that was a THEM problem, not a ME problem. I have a few choice phrases for people who judge me to my face. Those that do it behind my back have issues and I really don't need to know about them...

That said, I tend to live most of my life as an open book so people are used to it. LOL Every person's journey is their own and I support people who keep it completely secret the same way I support people who shout it from the rooftops! You do you. It is perfectly okay to keep it to yourself, it is your body. You do not owe anyone an explanation for how you've lost weight. Just smile, say thank you, and change the subject. If they keep asking you can give one of the suggestions here or just say it is something you are still working out and you don't really care to talk about it. People need to learn to respect boundaries! I may be considered rather blunt (or a b***h) by some but I try to be kind about it. It has taken me years to eradicate the people pleasing side of my personality and I don't really want her back. 🤣

same, same, as the other posters above.
i am really, really good at losing weight. I am (was) also really, really good at finding that weight again.
i've lost 50-75 lbs three separate times prior to wls, and each time managed to regain it within a year or so, plus a few more pounds for good measure, until i finally hit my highest weight of 235 lbs (i'm 5'2" so thats alot of weight for my height).
with WLS (sleeve for me), i lost 120-ish lbs and kept it ALL off (give or take 5lbs) since reaching goal...almost 5 YEARS ago...
whats more, maintaining this weight seems relatively effortless compared to before. because i eat so very little in volume (added to the fact that i somehow developed an affection for exercise and activity!), i have quite a bit of leeway in food choices to reach my maintenance calories. i am very grateful for this aspect of my surgery experience, i tell ya.
BUT... i will add a disclaimer here that not everyone has the same WLS experience. you won't know what yours will be until you know. though we all of us here already sort of know that low calorie diets alone aren't sustainable long term for us. i mean, that's why we are all here, no?

Update…I started taking my omeprazole twice a day instead of just in the morning and it absolutely made a difference in how “hungry” I felt. It definitely makes me wonder how long I’ve been interpreting GERD as hunger and just trying to feel myself for it to go away. It’s probably a big factor in what got me in this position in the first place.
Also, today I was advanced to the soft phase and I got to have a 1-2 tbsp meal of cottage cheese and an egg with Italian herbs. I’ve missed savory so much. It was beyond satisfying

At 9 days post op you shouldn't be eating ANY of that. I was still on liquids then, although some had been able to go to mushy foods. You'll hurt your stomach if you keep eating like that. Go back to basics, review the rules for eating after the surgery, and follow them. You're able to eat that right now because nerves were cut during the surgery and you aren't getting the "I don't like this food, I can't tolerate it yet" signals.

9 days out is probably a bit early to be eating those types of foods and if you are making it with mayo you probably aren't setting yourself up for success

my weight dropped down since. i guess this was just another slump

I do wonder if I will lose anymore. I hope not lol I look too small in my opinion. And thank you! I am having a rough week, still working out but I have been eating Sugar Free Chocolates and for some reason I am not having a lot of self control. I am due for my womanly time so I am blaming that. But stepping on the scale this was a happy surprise!

I’m counting it since my body has been fluctuating weight for the last month! 😂 but this is insane, never have I ever been this weight in my adult life! Never have I ever been this fit, never have I ever stayed on this path and stuck it through. What an amazing tool! Next goal? BOOBIES 😅

Thanks! I'm definitely focusing on protein! I'm going to see how it goes until my follow up appointment in two weeks and discuss with the doctor.

First time posting on these forums, so hello everyone. Glad to have found this space to talk about my experience as I find it very hard to communicate with everyone else in my regular day to day life.
I'm exactly 15 days post op (Gastric Sleeve) as I type this. And honestly, after reading many replies on here, I almost feel survivors guilt, but I do feel blessed as I thankfully did not experience many issues whatsoever. 24 hours after surgery I walked out of the hospital on my own, sore, but proud. I guess my biggest issue has been sleeping as I move around a lot while I sleep and at the beginning it would wake me up from pain for twisting and turning while I slept, and even then, that's no longer an issue. But, I never had nausea, or vomit, did not take any pain medication past the first 48 hours, I'm not trying to brag, just feeling fortunate after reading some stories on here.
Everyone has their own stories and journeys, for me I was obese my whole life. This was ok through my 20s as I felt invincible, and eventually those checks I was writing on my body came back to collect. Back pain and diabetes were first. But it wasn't until a week before the world shut down that things went really off the wall. A long term relationship ended, and as the world closed, it kept me from my support groups, and led me down a dark path of basically eating and drinking myself almost to death with nowhere to go. At my absolute heaviest I thought I would die at a staggering 407 pounds. Poetic as that's the area code for my city lol.
Knowing I had to make a change or I would not make it to 40 I went to a doctor, which led to a cancer scare. At that moment my life changed, and I knew change needed to happen now. I began diet and working out and made it down to about 375-380 where I had been hovering for over two years. Bariatric surgery is what I knew I needed to help me, and after fighting with insurance for two years, I finally got a new job last November, and the insurance there covered the surgery 100%! So I began the process in January. And on May 30th, 2024, at 10AM, I went in for surgery.
To say that life has changed, for the better, is an understatement. In two weeks I have dropped almost 30 pounds. I'm feeling amazing as far as my stomach (kinda weirds me out to say pouch lol) is concerned post surgery. Still in the liquid diet though looking forward to chewing something this weekend, as I'm absolutely sick of Jello. I am still not hungry, and almost feels like a miracle. My blood sugar is stabilizing without medication. My blood pressure is improving almost daily. Walking a mile a day does not leave me searching for oxygen, and I can't wait to start the gym on June 30th and really kick this into high gear.
TL/DR: This is a second change at life, and I will not waste it.
Look forward to learning more from others through this process. Onwards and upwards.

i love to eat. i also love to go out and eat and try new restaurants and go to parties with food and outings with friends and date nights with the Mr. or The Kid. i love to travel and for me and my fam and friends, travel == food. given my preferred lifestyle, i can't (won't!) really do all the switching in of alternative foods. i mean if i'm in Italy, there is no way i'm opting for a cauliflower crust pizza. nor will i forgo butter or effing high fat cheese when in france. i looooooove tasting menus, and i have yet to find one that caters to the "bariatric diet", nor would i want to. for me, i just control portion size (and total calories) and its worked very well for me (so far). i realize that alot of people can't do this in fear of slippery slopes and whatnot, but for ME, its sustainable.
its been said time and time again on here: do what works FOR YOU. it may not be what most are doing, or even what your medical team is saying...just find the place you are comfortable operating in and LIVE IT. you may not be perfect, but you can be perfect ENOUGH for YOU.

I guess I've been doing this all along, at least once I was allowed regular foods. I'll have a small serving of ice cream if I go to an ice cream place. I had a couple bites of cheesecake a while back. I'll have a square of dark chocolate a few times a week. I generally order chicken or fish, and not fried, with veggies at a restaurant, but I'll eat the sauces and not worry about it. I'll eat a couple fries off someone else's plate. That'a all I want is one or two.
My program is fairly simple, 60-80g Protein and 64 oz Water are the only rules I was given, (no specific calorie or carb rules) with an added recommendation of aim for 3 meals a day, about 40% protein per meal, and avoid snacking. Obviously, there is the list of good choices and not so good choices that we all know, like avoid oils and fried foods, and eat nutrient dense foods, etc. But I stopped keeping a written food journal every day because it isn't required of me, and for me, I don't want to live like I'm on a perpetual diet.
Somewhere I heard the advice to follow a 90/10 rule. If 90% of what you eat is healthy, don't worry so much about the other 10%. That resonates with me. Also, I like the concept of a "planned indulgence" instead of a cheat meal. Cheating implies doing something wrong. Planning to indulge in something is deliberate and you're in control of it. For me, that fits my life.

Congratulations on your surgery date. That’s a pretty long liquid diet but I guess it’s because you have a specific amount of weight they need you to lose. It will be well worth it because it will make your surgery that much safe plus be that much less you have to lose afterwards. I can’t suggest much for the wedding but When I did my sleeve I celebrated my birthday early because of the pre op diet. I guess you missed that window but you can Celebrate late (a half birthday this year perhaps). But honestly one thing you will learn from this surgery is that we tend to celebrate things with food but there are many other ways to celebrate. You can take a weekend trip somewhere you’ve been wanting to go, spend a day at the spa or buy yourself something you have really been eyeballing. And you can have people around who will inevitably need to eat something but not have the day centered around food. Or you can schedule something between lunch and dinner and ask people to not bring food. It’s your day so you get to celebrate it how you want.

Hi!
I got approved for the surgery in May of 2024. Doctor first told me that I would most likely have to wait until 2025 because of how the long the hospital waiting list is. Suddenly, I got called last week saying they were able to do it in October of 2024.
So this is the first day of a 12 week liquid diet to lose 10% of my body weight before the surgery.
My birthday is coming up and I have wedding that I'm going to next week!
I'm happy that this is happening this year, but I also feel bummed because I feel like this is bad timing.
I'm really happy that this journey is starting. I've always been overweight and so was my mother. We were the only one's in the family who were. We moved to the UK when I was 14 and my stepfather was also overweight and he passed away in 2022 due to pneumonia and other weight related complications.
My mother had gastric bypass in 2008 and due to surgical complication, they couldn't fix a bowel perforation and she passed in 2023. She and my stepdad were the only people in my life who were really supportive of anything I did. I fell a little bit alone going through this now, but I'm feeling optimistic at the same time.
Just looking for other people to share my story with.

Hi!
I got approved for the surgery in May of 2024. Doctor first told me that I would most likely have to wait until 2025 because of how the long the hospital waiting list is. Suddenly, I got called last week saying they were able to do it in October of 2024.
So this is the first day of a 12 week liquid diet to lose 10% of my body weight before the surgery.
My birthday is coming up and I have wedding that I'm going to next week!
I'm happy that this is happening this year, but I also feel bummed because I feel like this is bad timing.
I'm really happy that this journey is starting. I've always been overweight and so was my mother. We were the only one's in the family who were. We moved to the UK when I was 14 and my stepfather was also overweight and he passed away in 2022 due to pneumonia and other weight related complications.
My mother had gastric bypass in 2008 and due to surgical complication, they couldn't fix a bowel perforation and she passed in 2023. She and my stepdad were the only people in my life who were really supportive of anything I did. I fell a little bit alone going through this now, but I'm feeling optimistic at the same time.
Just looking for other people to share my story with.

That sounds like a lot of fun. Enjoy it.

THIS^^^ It's a mind over matter thing. Just remind yourself of your end goal during any weak moments. You can do this. Good luck!!!

Honestly, in pounds, you weigh 272, and you need to lose 27. That's absolutely doable. I agree that 12 weeks is a LOOOONG liquid diet. Are you able to have even 1 meal per day at any point? I understand they want you to lose 27 pounds before your surgery, but 3 months on only liquids seems really, really harsh.
Either way. congratulations on getting your surgery day!!! You'll love your life after, I can tell you that.