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Yes, your relationship with food is supposed to change. How you view it, how often you eat it, what you eat, etc... Also, having a specific meal plan to follow helps a lot while you navigate your new normal. Definitely slow down your eating, start looking at what you're eating and what your calorie/carb/fat/protein intake is, look at your activity levels and adjust them accordingly, and look into speaking with your nutritionist and a bariatric therapist. This is all stuff that should have been gone over with you long before you actually had your surgery.

Tracking what you are eating may help you. I have not had my surgery yet, but I use an app to track what I eat. It is called Bariatastic and is free. It will track your calories, protein, carbs, fat, etc. It also will remind you about drinking water and taking vitamins. Also has some really good recipes.

I agree: ongoing support is necessary or at least knowing it’s there if you do need it. The ongoing support is the main reason I stay active on this forum plus being able to pay it back by offering others support because that can reinforce my behaviours. As is reading about others’ stories like yours. I’m also glad I still see my surgeon’s colleague for follow ups (6 monthly now) & I’m 4.5 yrs out. It’s probably more of a chatty catch up now but she is there if I ever need her. I also get the worrying over small weight gains. I find myself watching the grams/ounces & not just the kilograms/pounds some days. Before surgery I’d just shrug off any gain or simply not weigh myself so I could pretend I hadn’t gained. Now I think I’ve worked too darn hard to let my weight get away from me. But sometimes life gets in the way: you or a loved one has a health issue, you’re prescribed new meds, relationship, work, financial challenges, etc. arise, & you can’t control all those things. All you can do is decide how you manage them & their impact on your life. Maybe track your food for a while to check your food choices, portions sizes, nutritional content & whether you’re still meeting your protein & fluid goals. That way you can discover where you may have drifted off track. Then start by making one or two changes then in another week or two make another change or two until you’re back on your path. All the best.

constipation is a very common problem for both sleeve and bypass patients. I think it's a combination of the high protein diet and some of the supplements (calcium and iron are known culprits) a lot of us have to take daily preventative measures to keep on top of it - Miralax, stool softeners, Metamucil. smooth move tea, a few prunes - whatever helps. I've been taking a capful of Miralax every day for over eight years.

I am in the UK and have to be a carer for my husband too. Its not a bed of roses is it. I send my hubby to the man creche in the pub twice a week by taxi. I then have some me time. I look forward to this time so much. I do not allow anything to interfere with it. As to the weather ! oh dear it is awful at the moment. We have had flood warnings all weekend. I still got out though because I once saw a psychiatrist and said I had become so house bound because of the weather it affected my mental well being. He simply said ' Get better clothes' So I did. I hope you can get your world sorted, everything seems harder at Christmas time. Moving home is the hardest thing to do. I always say ' I am never doing that again' You need to phone your team and find out why you cant eat hot foods. Can you eat soup ? I still have issues with lamb and cooked salmon but I am ok with other proteins. Eggs took me almost 2 years to master then one day I craved them. I allow myself a treat every day, my love is children's rocket ice lollies. Asda and M&S ones are less than 40 calories each. Yesterday I had 2 Mcvities chocolate biscuits and thought to myself they were ok but 87 calories each ! and no real nutritional value, I might give them a miss till Christmas. Don't beat yourself up, just try to eat better. Your body deserves it.

Thanks for your help. While I do have a team, Unfortunately they don't really function like I see many other people say on the internet say their team does. My team did the surgery and now they just say eat less and the surgeon says go to PCP for every concern. Even if I had to go to the hospital for an obstruction I'd likely go to a completely different hospital at random. I felt permanently hungry right after this surgery for about 5 weeks. It did pass once I got on solids again but that feeling of fullness only lasted maybe 6 weeks. Now 4.5 months out I'm essentially always starving. For example I had a Premier Protein bar and felt nothing from it. I then had another one 40 minutes later and only then did I feel some sense of fullness but only for about 10 minutes. But that's just breakfast and that's already 40g of protein and probably 370 calories. I do sometimes feel restriction but it passes very quickly and I'm left starving again. For example if I ate a piece of chicken and broccoli. Maybe a chicken breast and a cup of broccoli florets. Just plain. I'd get through half and would feel full but that only lasts maybe 10min. As for keeping carbs out. The team did say to prioritize protein and have carbs last as you mention. As for no carbs, well they may have said it but at the same time I don't recall it. I figured I was eating way more calories. But I'm quite hungry so it's not always easy when they voice in my head says hey you need to eat. That month where the hunger went away was amazing. That's what I was expecting things to stay as. But they haven't. Now I eat lean meat and more or less it just passes quickly. Leaving me unsatisfied.

Hi all, can’t say how relieved I am in some ways to hear people are having the same challenges. Had the sleeve on 10/30 and while have lost 21kg / 46lba so far, if anything it’s getting a lot tougher. On one hand the extra energy and the ability to wear clothes several sizes smaller is an absolute win that genuinely has made me laugh out loud at times. Just really struggling with eating and drinking. Am only getting maybe 50% of the recommended water daily and even that’s a massive, massive fight. A cup of water can take 2 hours to drink or on days like today even longer. As for three small meals of soft food, I’d probably kill to manage that right now. A few spoons of protein yoghurt for breakfast and if am lucky a few spoons of puréed potato / fish / scrambled egg is about as much as I can manage (and most days I feel really uncomfortable after even that). Am taking my team, chowing everything extremely carefully but no joy. Per diet plan should be moving on from puréed food to soft food but after trying it for two days, looks like it’s a no go. Interestingly am not in the US (am in Poland these days) and here the approach was quite different. There was no specific pre-op diet at all which I found weird. That said, surgeon was incredible and the surgery itself went very well. I guess he felt confident enough shifting an enlarged liver (I have fatty liver disease anyway so maybe he thought that it may not help enough to make it worthwhile) Anyway, good luck all

I tried the fairlife strawberry banana & it taste like medicine. I’m familiar with premier protein but never seen any other flavors besides vanilla & chocolate at BJ’s … where did you buy the other flavors??

Head hunger is the worst for me, and if I eat anything with a lot of starch or sugar, I crave it constantly. I'm having to distance myself from anything with more than single-digit carbs, otherwise it takes me about 3 days to get rid of the cravings, which is misery. Also remember when chewing up and spitting out carb-heavy foods, just to get a taste, your mouth will absorb some of those carbs, which can trigger those cravings. Not so much with protein or fat heavy foods. I'm trying to remember my wife's motto, she says Little Debbies lead to Fat Deborahs. Although there's days I'd do something regrettable for one of their Christmas Cakes lol.

Simple answer is no to the peanut butter. I didn’t like the shakes either after surgery. I would have just one a day (diluted to try to help with the flavour) & then had soup (cream, bone broths, consumes) for the rest of the day. If you like milk you could make up your own shakes by adding a little Greek yoghurt & a little protein powder. Just keep it very thin. You could get some powdered flavours to add too like a peanut butter one. Only a week to go to purées which is when I never touched another shake again.

Yeah I bought a couple of 10 packs of Propels packets. I am going to get a chicken this weekend and start making some broth to freeze into portions. I looked at all the options for broth and it is loaded with salt ,which I am not a fan of, so I figure it is just best to make myself. I am sitting down now going over what I do and don’t need to actually order to cover 6 weeks of liquid diet (3 preop and 3postop) I think I am just feeling overwhelmed at what feels like the last minute now.

You can get other Premier Protein flavors at places like Target!! If I want a ready to drink protein I go with Premier Protein purely for convenience and the fact I can keep a variety in my fridge. I usually try to find it at Target until I've vetted a flavor, then I stalk Amazon and Walmart for sales. Fairlife's chocolate shake is fine but sometimes sends me to the bathroom for reasons I don't understand. If I'm at home and doing a mix I like the Syntrax Fuzzy Navel and their tropical flavor. You can get samples of different flavors through BariatricPal's shop. I also like the Mike & Ike Sour Watermelon from MyProtein. You can often get it on a good sale! I don't like the cherry though for some odd reason. I like the Pro-Cal shakes but only mixed with milk. Otherwise I just use unflavored protein (GenePro and no I don't count it as 33grams like it says it is equivalent to, I only count it as the 11 grams on the nutrition label!!). I hated Unjury and sadly everyone else recommended it so much I bought full size containers of the soups untasted and now post op I am kicking myself because I can't stomach any of it. LOL If you can have caffeine Chike is pretty good mixed with milk too! You can get samples of those from BariatricPal as well. SAMPLES ARE YOUR FRIEND!!

Well I had my gastric bypass on the 29th and I got home yesterday. The first day and a half was rough, painful and I was full of doubts. Now that I am home I am good. I am keeping water, jello and protein Gatorade down. I am going to try some broth and yogurt today. Now trying to figure out this Christmas stuff for 3 boys.

Thank you, sadly most of my visits have been virtual because I live so far away from my dr office, so samples are not given 😒 hopefully post op they will give me some. I will check out the syntrx line as I have seen others. Most of the “name” drinks have been suggested not required. It was also suggested that I get unflavored protein powder since tastes change and it is the best to mix with just water or flavored water to get my protein in. I am actually sitting here getting my stuff ordered as I write this. I am a bit closer but I think I will feel better once I get my vitamins and drink in the house thank you for the help

I had surgery on November 1st and no way able to eat what you describe. First 3 weeks was still liquids, broth, Jello, water, tea and protein shakes. Now I have been given the window to do scrambled eggs, mashed veggies and soft canned fish/chicken as of last Thursday. I am lucky if I can consume 2 tbs of food in each sitting. SO, I have stuck with the hospital schedule and doing every 15-30 minutes, 2-3 tbs of food. Then sipping water all day long or tea. Again, unsure how your able to do so, so quickly. But each body is different.

Sorry to hear you're dealing with all of this, it sounds rough. I know not all seasons of life can lend itself to it, but stress will cause the body to retain fat and prevent burning it. If there's any way to unload some of the stress, either by working out, meditation, going to a "rage room" where they let you smash stuff, anything that helps, it will help the weight loss process resume. I know its not always possible, having just come out of a season of life that felt like constant stress for 8 years with no seeming end. It was like I couldn't lose weight regardless of what I did, but I was always in a state of stress. I'm definitely not living a stress free life by any means now, but after years of therapy and practice, I guess I'm a little better at managing it now. That being said, my surgeon suggested a "reset" if weight regain happens 1 year+ after surgery. It was basically go back to the pre op diet to jump start things for a couple weeks, then slowly start adding back items from your normal diet, but keep watch to see if any of those are causing a stall or regain. Focus on hydration first, then protein, then unsaturated fat, then other fats, AND THEN carbs last. I wouldn't go as extreme as keto, but try to aim for single digit carbs per serving of something, or under 50-60g per day. Carbs are easy energy for our bodies, so it prefers to burn that first, and store any excess as fat, just as a survival mechanism. Everyone is slightly different, but some people's metabolism can be thrown off by certain imatation sugars and sugar alcohols. Even though they're 0 or low calorie, they can still trigger an insulin response like sugar or starches. You may want remove the biscuits for the time being and see if those may be the trigger for your body. Best of luck to you, and hoping things improve for you from here. Stay strong!

That's the exact pre-op diet I had! Are you required to use a particular shake or can you use any type? I had to use either Premier Protein or Bariatric Advantage for my pre-op, but I could use anything post op. I agree with the others, samples are your friend. BariatricPal has a fair number of brands you can get samples of. You can get the samples of protein broths from Unjury. Make sure you get some clear drink samples like the Syntrax Nectar line, as I found those MUCH easier to get down post surgery. The milk based ones felt too heavy for a while. My favorite of those are the Fuzzy Navel and the tropical one I can never recall the name of. You can pick up the ready made Premier Protein drinks at places like Walmart and Target in 4 packs so it isn't a huge commitment to flavors. I like the Cafe Latte ones (if you are allowed caffeine), Pumpkin Spice, Cinnamon Roll, and Vanilla the best. They are all good mixed with coffee (or in my case, decaf because I can't have caffeine for 6 months).

Thanks for the advice guys! I'm already doing all those things. I get 60-90 grams of protein a day (I'm a DS patient so my protein requirement is higher), I am getting all my water in daily, I'm walking when I can, and doing anything physical that is safe for this stage of my healing. Truly, there is nothing I can do to break the stall. Stalls break when they are ready. This is my body recalibrating. It is discouraging but I'm trying to be patient. This is a marathon, not a sprint, and the body needs down time to rest and recover and recalibrate so we can move forward. The best thing I can do right now is stay the course so I don't give it anything new to have to adjust to! LOL I'm one month post op today!! So happy with that. My healing is going well. I'm still nauseous on and off, especially in the morning, but other than that I feel good. My incisions are almost invisible already. No more soreness in the muscles of my abdomen. I still can't lift much yet but I'm being very careful about that because I don't want a hernia. I can sleep on my side again. I'm getting the hang of estimating what portions of what foods I can eat without measuring cups. I still think anything resembling chicken breast is vile and dry and a concrete block in my tummy. But I can get all different sorts of protein drinks in now when I need them!! Aaaand my partner bought us an espresso machine for Christmas so I can have my favorite espresso drinks decaf with my high protein Fairlife milk!! That's true love man...

I had mine on November 20. My surgeon had me go from clear liquids to protein shakes and broth on the 3rd day after, as long as I could tolerate it without getting sick, but had me hold off on non-clear soups or other creamy drinks until today. I've been able to keep down plain greek yogurt, cottage cheese, and egg drop soup since Saturday, and part of a scrambled egg today, even though I jumped the gun a little on that. I'm still waiting a couple more days before attempting softened meats. Definitely stick to what your surgeon/doctor says, and take it really slowly when introducing something new. If you have a bad reaction, wait 2-3 days before attempting it again. They warned me beef can be harder to tolerate at first compared to something like canned/pureed tuna or chicken, and may require a couple more weeks.

I had the sleeve surgery 9/26/16 and did well with it till I had my gallbladder removed in 2018 then I developed severe gastric reflux. My surgeon found that my bile duct got stuck open after they removed my gallbladder. With the bile constantly running in my sleeve it eroded it causing some precancerous changes. Once my insurance approved for a second surgery we went with changing over to a bypass in June of 2020 to fix the problem. I was very happy that we ended up doing the revision because I no longer had to sleep sitting up and my stalled weight loss finally started back up again and I was able to continue my weight loss journey. Fast forward to the present of this year I have been holding a good weight of between 137 to 145 lbs and no health issues really I just still struggled with dumping a lot cause my new pouch didn't always like food but I maintain weight with the help of shakes. Then in August of this year for some reason I just started getting where I didn't feel well and I dropped like 17 lb like it was nothing. I contacted my surgeon because I was concerned because of how weak and tired I had felt and I've noticed like vision changes my muscles or shrinking rapidly I was becoming dehydrated and all kinds of new things that I wasn't prepared for. My surgeon ordered a upper scope and a lower which come back very good. My lab showed that I did have a couple vitamin deficiencies so I increased my vitamins I actually have to go redo my labs here because I also ended up getting sick and went in the ER in my liver counts were high and they never been high before so we're checking those this week. But now I'm having a harder time eating and getting my body to absorb my nutrition even the protein shakes aren't helping maintain my body weight I am dropping weight still pretty rapidly I'm down to 124 lb now and my immune system seems to have been weakened because I get sick super easy and I try to stay away from other people otherwise that makes it harder on me and I guess get wiped out. I am currently waiting for my surgeon to call me back because I'm getting more concerned about how we come getting it's getting harder to do every daily things such as washing my hair folding my clothes and putting them away my muscles hurt and they're tired and weak and they get all cramped up. I'm blessed to have this surgery but I was never expecting that I would get this new very weird complication of just not being able to eat very well and to maintain weight. I trust my surgery team he's wonderful I'm hoping they can figure this out I'd really do not want a feeding tube or a PICC line I work with the public and that's even getting hard to do and I've almost thought about applying for disability until I get this figured out so I can quit losing weight by exertion. I'm just wondering is anybody else going through something like this or they just out of nowhere started losing weight again and they just can't seem to get it to stop. I'm worried not only for myself but for my family because my kids are still pretty young and I'm not ready to leave this world yet I still have a lot to live for. Hw: 268 SW 221lbs LW 124lns Height 5'2

Yeah, I really didn’t mean food lol. I was meaning the drinks and broth. But that is good to know so I will get for the 3 weeks preop then I can do one week at a time post. I was thinking of getting a variety of flavor protein drinks since like you said some tastes change. I have been hearing that from everyone. Preop I will do protein shakes, chicken broth, SF drink mixed and popsicles. So post op I will do chicken broth, popsicles, a small pack of unflavored protein powder to add to water, and my sugar free drink mixes(like crystal light). wow that seems so much easier. Thanks for helping me think through a kind of shopping list.

you'll probably just be doing protein drinks and shakes the first two weeks, so I wouldn't worry about food yet. I would just get enough protein shakes/drinks for the first few days, because for many of us, our tastes change after surgery. Something you liked before surgery you might not like afterwards (e.g., I couldn't deal with sweet-flavored shakes for awhile after surgery - my sense of taste became more intense, and sweetness became intolerably sweet, at least for the first month or so. I lived on Unjury's chicken broth flavored shakes for quite awhile). So I wouldn't buy a huge tub of protein powder, for example, at this point, since if you end up hating it after surgery, that's a lot of money down the drain. Maybe just pick up (or order) a few individual packets of protein powder - or if you can have (and want) the ready-to-drink variety, just get enough bottles for the first few days.

That app is good we also use Calorie king. But I’m finding I’m not getting the calories anyway. I am on 60g of protein a day. Im 1 month 1 day post op. I have vomited twice since Friday😔. I had a zoom with the surgeon Friday and he has suggested to have purée an extra week. He was afraid I may have inside scaring in my oesophagus and if I do they will do a endo to remove scaring. I see my gp again Tuesday to discuss this as I’m away from Tuesday arvo to Late Friday night. Then I’m home 4 days before going away again for 9 days. Pity I can’t have any soft foods yet. but am feeling positive. Walking an Hr doesn’t hurt anymore.

I am 4 weeks now from surgery. I got my date of 12/27. I have been doing pre op since April but I ran into a health issue that took priority. Now that is taken care of this last stretch has gone quickly. I have a 2 week liquid with one meal a day. Then I have a 1 week liquid only up to surgery. Of course after surgery is the two week post op liquid and then adding in purée food for week three. I don’t know where to start and everything is so expensive. I have gotten some of the stuff I will need but none of it food or the Protein Drinks and shakes. That part I am actually finding rather overwhelming on what to get and how much And advice from anyone?

I wish I knew what they have planned. They are supposed to call me to explain, but so far the only person I've spoken with is the guy who answers the phone, and he probably wasn't supposed to tell me anything. He just said, "unfortunately, the center is closing, so..." The worst part is, I've been a patient there for almost 7 years, doing nutritional and medical weight loss. I love my endocrinologist there, and the nutritionists, the staff. If they are losing their jobs, I will cry. And they are always so busy I don't see how they can afford to close. I am so mad because I had a chance to move my surgery to right before Thanksgiving, but I had to pass because it was too last minute for figuring out the childcare. Now I'm kicking myself. Literally, my insurance approval is in and everything. I have a pantry of protein powders and a bookcase of bariatric cookbooks. I have watched every video on the planet. I just needed my final pre-test, which was supposed to be next week. My mom had booked a hotel in Harvard Square to be close by the night of the surgery and take me home the next day. The kids would be off school for winter break. Now I have no idea where anything stands. I will still have my insurance for January because my husband's job doesn't start until a few days into the month so we'll have paid the premium for January, but as of February it'll have to be the new insurance, and I don't yet know what they cover, or even which insurance company it is. Plus, my deductible starts over on Jan 1, naturally.