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I can't help but think of all the holidays and special occasions I celebrated with food and where it got me. Falling off diets. Starting again on Monday...etc etc. It was exhausting. By the time I finally got to my pre-op diet (my birthday fell during that time), I was so sick and over the excuses I made for overeating that I no longer felt like I was somehow missing out or deprived. Drink some turkey broth and be thankful for the new life that's waiting for you. WLS is nothing short of miraculous. It handed me hope. After losing over 100 pounds, I may even let family members take pictures of me now. LOL Have a great Thanksgiving everyone!!! Hugs!!

My RNY is scheduled for one week from today. I was all in until a couple weeks ago. I am a person that likes a lot of information so I've been watching a ton of videos and joined a few groups like this one. I know there are always chances of complications but the more I look, the more I'm seeing people that went through them, and people that really regret having it done. So now I'm basically terrified. I know no one can tell me what to do. I'm more or less talking it out myself by listing the pros and cons, but I'd also love to have input from people that have gone through it, especially if they are around the same size and situation as me. I am 5' 7" and my highest weight that I recall was 266. I have lost weight and regained it a thousand times in my life. I started the bariatric program a year and a half ago at 254 but a few months later for family issues I had to drop out. By that point I had lost weight on my own and was confident I could do it myself this time, but of course gained what I'd lost and then some. I started again this past April. I am really in the kick ass mindframe since then and have gotten down to 212 - actually 209.5 as of this morning. I'm again in that frame of mind thinking I've lost 55 on my own, I can lose the next 50 as well. And it is definitely possible, though it would be difficult. Keeping it off even more difficult, though again possible. I really have no major health issues, the primary reason is because I'm tired of being this size and failing constantly at losing it myself. I'm tired of shopping in plus size, tired of being scared about sitting in theater seats or a rollercoaster. Tired of seeing pictures of myself and not recognizing that person. I do have sleep apnea and use a cpap. I had a pre-op scope and they found I have grade B esophigitis, though I have no symptoms and very rarely get heartburn. For that reason I was hesitant to get a sleeve, and so many people that get a sleeve are going back for a revision that I decided gastric bypass was the way to go, and my surgeon agreed. I think if someone could see my future and tell me I wouldn't have any major complications and everything went smoothly, I would not even hesitate to do this. My insurance will cover it, I have the time off work. I feel like I'm mentally prepared to do what needs to be done - but I also know many people feel that way but underestimate exactly how it'll go. I feel like I have a pretty good pain tolerance and can get though that ok. Things I'm nervous about: major complications, of course. Getting in enough water and protein in the small amounts you can take in at a time (although I know it can be done). Food aversions - I'm a fairly picky person anyway and you read about people that can't eat anything without feeling sick, even a long time after surgery. Future pain and inability to take ibuprofen - I am allergic to Tylenol and get hives so I'm kind of out of options in the future. I have told a few people because I don't want the negativity ahead of time. Some are jealous and wish their insurance covered it and think I'm crazy to have second thoughts. Some have said look at how well I've done on my own, I can do this on my own without surgery. My husband says he'll support me but he also says he thinks I look great now and don't need it. He's gone to a couple classes with me and was visibly horrified when shown a video of the surgery, and I think he's more scared than he lets on. I have 2 daughters 16 and 21 that are very much momma's girls - one is nervous for the surgery, the other says 'you do you, dawg', lol. Both of them struggle with depression and I would be gutted if something happened to me because I'm not sure they'd handle it well. This is turning into a novel, I'm sorry. I had 2 women that have gone through it say no way would they go through having their guts surgically rearranged for just 45 pounds. And then I see others on here roughly my size that are happy as hell they went through it. And again, I know no one can tell me what to do. I am just trying to get as much info as possible. I don't necessarily buy the whole "my cousin had this surgery and these horrible things happened" stuff, or even "my cousin had this surgery, never had any complications and is thrilled with it" - but when I hear it directly from the people that went through it, it carries more weight. Thanks if you've gotten this far!!

For those of us still not on solid food how are you planning to navigate Thanksgiving?

Yep that was me. im more cautious this time round. I am only 19 days post op. But it feels so different. I was told to stick to fluids for 3 weeks. So still a bit longer. And then runny puree for 3 weeks. I can drink and wait an hour before drinking again. I’m struggling with plain water. before I would have a coffee for breakfast and then wouldn’t have anything till lunchtime.

I would immediately re-establish care with your Bariatric doctor and voice your concerns with vigor. Tell them you need more than just a nutritionist visit, you would like testing to check on your anatomy. To help with the dumping immediately try to really watch the sugar (and fat) content per serving in the foods/drinks you consume. Keep it as low as possible like your post op directions (I think it was 5 grams or less in my instructions) Good Luck!

I don't know if the OP was a troll but I think the post has merits for the reflections it has created. My partner sees a therapist that specializes in eating disorders. She seems to be rather WLS negative because she sees patients that struggle with it and regret it. But in talking about it I realized for most of these people the regrets are driven by unrealistic expectations or having food addiction issues they've never dealt with--they weren't prepared to say goodbye to their relationship with food like Babyspoons points out. The surgery is hard on our minds and if our head game isn't strong it will take us down! Unrealistic expectations are so damaging to one's long term happiness. I don't know if it is the individual's issue, or a combo of that and surgeons painting a fairytale picture, but I had pretty frank discussions with my surgeon and GP about what I could expect from the surgery. I don't expect to lose 50 lbs in this first month. I don't expect to ultimately get down to 130lbs. I've set a reasonable goal for myself and we all agree it is attainable if everything works right. Not everything works right all the time. But I picked the surgery that had the highest chance of giving me what I really wanted---a loss of my co-morbidities. I decided that if I could kiss my diabetes and high blood pressure and high cholesterol goodbye, it would be worth the surgery even if I don't lose all the weight. Of course I want to lose the weight, but I'm a pragmatic person and I had to really dig deep and decide how I'd feel if I never meet my weight loss goal. I didn't want to be stuck with regrets, I hate regrets. But I think most people don't do this internal work pre-surgery so they are left trying to reckon with it all post surgery when expectations don't meet reality. I think there is a lesson in that for all of us...

I had to do liquids for 2 weeks post op my DS. And am now on purees for a week. You'll get food soon, hang in there!! Then you'll have to contend with your gut being mad at everything you eat. 😂 I swear my stomach thinks most food is a bad idea. I can eat yogurt, pureed eggs, and fish (my surgeon told me I could eat fish early). This is amusing because eggs and fish are not my favorite foods by any means, but since my tastebuds have changed post surgery they are actually palatable! Everything else I've tried has ended badly in the bathroom... I'm hoping it'll get better once I move to Soft Foods next week!

LOL It's nice they are getting on board, even if it is over concern for your "last meals". I made sure I had korean bbq before surgery since that's the only meal I love that actually requires stomach capacity to enjoy! My "last" meal though was a few slices of really good pizza and a cocktail, since DS patients have to eat low carb post surgery and I knew I wouldn't be eating pizza like that again. And my surgeon says no alcohol for a year... Enjoy your food celebration before your pre-op diet!!

I have. I'm doing purees this week and apparently most of what I've tried my stomach doesn't like. Avocado? Tastes awful. Ricotta and tomato sauce? Too acidic, that was diarrhea for sure, and stomach pain. Refried beans? More diarrhea. LOL The only thing that seems to pass without objection is eggs, yogurt, and fish (my surgeon told me I could eat fish early). It seems this sort of trial and error is very common at this stage.

I had my gastric bypass 11/10, now 11 days post op. Feeling pretty good, excited about soft foods in another week.

Hi everyone! Finally checking in after my VSG surgery on the 15th. Surgery went well and there were no complications. Drinking fluids has been harder than I expected, even with tiny sips. They have me taking multiple pills each day (Tylenol, protonix, solace, etc) so it takes a while to be able to get the pills down. I can drink maybe one protein drink per day. Able to stay hydrated but otherwise, it is a chore. Have my follow up appointment next Monday so we will see if they move me to purees/soft foods. Hope everyone is doing well!

Hey I struggled with eating soft food diet. I couldn’t eat bread, eggs, pasta, rice. Anything that was dense. I was stuck on a purée diet for 14 months. I had to have surgery again for them to correct the oesophagus, diaphragm, stomach pouch I developed and hiatus hernia. Anything I ate got blocked and would come back up. I did have a stretch a month into the first surgery but it never helped

I’m 19 days post op! On puree stage Struggling with this stage because of the food consistency! Back to work today I’m super nervous anyone else feel like this?

Hi Crystal, we are only a few days apart on our surgery date's mine was the 27th. How are you doing? are you tolerating food well? Have you tried anything you used to like and found you don't like it?

I bought mine from this site the Bariatric Pal version. My program requires I take a multi with 45 grams of iron and this site had exactly what I needed, I did not know before I bought them how long I was required to crush my pills or use a chewable, so I bought the 3 months supply. After surgery, I found out I only needed to crush or use chewable for one month. That is okay though because I do not mind the chewable. Now to save a few dollars I bought the pill form of calcium citrate from Walmart and honestly I was so sick of crushing that horse pill and having it ruin my food over the course of 2 weeks AND after my first post-op appointment, I was told when I am done with the month of crushing, I would need to cut the horse pill, of calcium citrate in half to take it. This prompted me to just spend the money and buy the chewable from this site as well, and I am so glad I did. Both the multi and the calcium citrate are the bariatric pal brand. On my first day of taking the chewable multi, I did think it was gross, but on the second day, it tasted good. (this was right after surgery of course). I will be buying the year's supply of multi pills for $99 when I finish the ones I already bought, because that is the best deal since I did buy 3 months worth, and that will get me through to my first blood test and I will know if I should keep the same iron level or change it before I buy a years worth. As for the calcium citrate, I can't promise I will be the model patient, regarding taking it (and no, for anyone wanting to course correct me, I do not want a list of reasons why I should thank you ). But will likely keep with the chewable because I do not want to put the effort in of having to keep a pill cutter on me and make a production of cutting my pills around people. I can just throw some chewables in a bag and call it a day.

Char v , 16 days post op and still on liquids ? Today is my 10th day post op and I’m still on liquids hoping on my upcoming 1st post op appointment with my surgeon he’ll say when I can start soft foods.

Char v , 16 days post op and still on liquids ? Today is my 10th day post op and I’m still on liquids hoping on my upcoming 1st post op appointment with my surgeon he’ll say I can start soft foods.

hey thank you for your Answer, yes it's a Stricture, but The doc told me already it is so narrow that they can't stretch it to "normal" levels so they adviced me to get a second surgery. I really hope in a year or two i can eat at least something like Tofu or other "textured" Food.

by "second surgery", do you mean you have a second stricture that needs to be stretched? That's not unusual. I had to go in twice to get mine stretched - after that, I was fine - never had problems with them again. About 5% of bypass patients get strictures. The PA at my bariatric clinic said it's the most common complication - and it's an easy fix. They almost never happen once you reach the 3-month-post-op mark, so it's doubtful you'll have one again after you get this one stretched. you'll be able to eat more the further out you get from surgery. It's really just the first few months that you have certain food restrictions and can only eat a tiny amount of food. you should feel a lot better once they stretch out the stricture - and it's unlikely you'll have another one after this.

Oh, our changing taste buds. It can be quite intriguing. First there is the temporary change after surgery which I think the anaesthetic contributes a lot too. But then after removing certain foods from your eating, you can lose your desire for them or even enjoyment of them over time. Which can be a good thing with certain foods. I embraced my dislike & sensitivity to anything sweet & rarely eat traditional sweet foods or drinks anymore. Same with alcohol - probably average a glass a month (though with Christmas & Christmas parties coming up I may have a few more through December - LOL! Getting your family on board & understanding your eating now can be challenging. Maybe remind them that you are doing this with the support of a medical team & they are extremely happy with what you are doing & have no concerns. Your digestive system has been altered & you physically can’t eat the over large portions you used to which is a good thing. Maybe add that you are determined to be successful with your weight loss to be a healthier you & would hope you would have their support not their criticism & judgement. But you know your family best & what will resonate with them most. All the best.

Perfectly normal. You’ve always fluctuated & always will. You probably never noticed it before because you may not have weighed yourself as regularly as you do now. You may also discover over time you may have a pretty constant fluctuation rate. (My stabilised weight fluctuation is about a kilogram.) Yep, hormones, fluid retention, pooping/not pooping, etc. can affect the number on the scales. Add to that we don’t eat the exact same things in the exact same amounts every day. Same with drinking & the activity we do. Even our general health can affect our weight even having a cold. Your doctor has seen it all. Be honest with them at your appointment. That way they can offer you their best advice. Do you still see your dietician? A visit with them may also help to ensure you are on the right path. It can be easy to miss something. Do you track your food? If not it may be worth doing it for a couple of weeks. All the best.

I had my taste buds change about 4 days ago (I'm 2 weeks post op). It's awful!! I can't taste sweet spices at the moment, like cinnamon and nutmeg. Perfect time of year to not be able to taste those things! LOL Also a number of savory things don't taste right anymore... I hear this taste change happens a lot in the 1st year. As for your family, you are going to have to set some firm boundaries there. I know it is hard to do with family, but if you don't set them now it'll only get worse. Just tell her you've had enough and you'll return to it later, then put your plate away... Tell her you get labwork to ensure you are getting enough nutrients, she doesn't need to worry. Your body is different now and your food needs are different. And that what you need most from her is SUPPORT in this new way of life, not encouragement to overeat. Parents have a hard time seeing their children as responsible adults who can care for their own bodies and lives. Sometimes we need to (kindly) remind them we've got this.

Hey all! I had a sleeve in 2020, and am having a revision the end of this month to a bypass for severe GERD. I also have a gum obsession, always have. It is only a short time you can't have it (or straws which is my other obsession lol). Hoping everyone who has had surgery is feeling okay and on the mend! My doctor does a 2 week diet but unlike last time (different surgeon) they allow solid food, which is a plus. I'm not complaining. I'll eat soup and chicken for 2 weeks. The liquid was tough, after day 4ish it got better though. I was so hangry the first time around, I thought I'd lose it on my husband. He knew to tread lightly LOL

Wow 10 days post op , 4 days post op and your already allowed to eat? My DS surgery was November 9th and I’m instructed to still follow a liquid diet. I’m dying here I want FOOD! All I have is broth, water sugar free jello decaf tea water and more water, oh and sugar free ice pops.. my mouth is dry and my tummy is empty I want solids.

Weight fluctuations are definitely normal. Salt intake, water retention, hormones, even how much food is still in your digestive system, all influence your weight at any given moment. I'm pre-op, but I traveled last week and just the change to salty foods and restaurant meals was enough to make me gain nearly 10lbs. I thought it was from the unhealthy food and was so distraught, but it was almost all fluid retention because less than a week at home eating my normal healthy diet and it was all gone. Just keep track of what you're eating, but don't starve yourself! That will just cause more problems.