Search the Community

Some programs can vary with this. Are you speaking of the 2 weeks prior or 2 weeks post? For mine - the 12 Day Pre-Op Diet consisted of 2 protein shakes 1 for Bkfast and 1 for Lunch and dinner was a lean protein and non starchy veg for the first 10 days. In that time I could have essentially any sugar free liquids - tea, black coffee, diet sodas, seltzer water, gatorade zero and even sugar free jello. (was only allowed 1/2 cup of skim milk at this stage).The 11th day was liquids only so protein shake, broth and all liquids above. The 12th day was clear liquids only so I subbed protein water and then broth. I did not have to do a liquid diet post op. I was released from the hospital on the pureed stage. Again every program can vary. I could not have caffeine for the first 30 days. No carbonated beverages either. I liked the Protein2O protein water, but there are other brands. (I could not stand Recovery Water) It was a nice change from the milky stuff. Sugar free popsicles are also a nice treat. Different flavor broths help to mix it up. I am not a fan of jello so that wasn't my thing. Unflavored protein I definitely tried to add to things, but I did not like the taste personally. To each their own as many people find it very helpful. I will say - do not get too attached to any particular protein shake and don't stock up on too many. What you liked prior to surgery you may not like much after. Maybe have on hand some 4 packs of different brands/flavors so that you have handy options while you are healing. Vanilla is easy to mix with other things to switch it up. Personally I love Fairlife Nutrition Plan shakes in vanilla and chocolate (warmed up it's a nice hot chocolate). Fairlife milk is also a good high protein option that you can easily add to make your own shakes. The only thing I might have done differently is make my own broths prior and freeze them. You have more control over the flavors as some packaged broth can be meh.

Congratulations! It's encouraging to hear that cuz I'm one week in and I am getting so discouraged.

I feel the same. I was explaining to my partner that it's just liquid that doesn't even touch the sides. On top of that all the shakes are sweet, not savory, so it just feels like I'm having rubbish sweet shakes and nothing else. Sleep is the only time I feel okay because I don't feel the hunger as much. I just feel like I'm struggling on day 3 never mind another 25 days. I think maybe writing down the positives/reasons I'm doing it when I feel like I can't do it anymore or I'm tempted might be a good way to go. To remind myself. I think I'm going to weigh myself once a week to just see the scale down a little. Any weight loss is positive reinforcement. Thank you for sharing, it really helps!

Ok what??? HOW??? I was staying between 177-179 for the last few weeks so I thought I was FINALLY at the place my body was setting at. Apparently not!!! I've even increased how often I eat. But it seems like the more I eat, the more I lose. The less I eat, that's when my weight stays pretty much the same. And that seems pretty messed up to me. So I have to starve myself to STOP losing weight but if I eat well I'll keep going lower??? What??? I don't WANT to go lower. I was supposed to stop at 190!! Make it make sense, cuz the math ain't mathin. Just had blood work done. Other than being anemic (thanks lupus!!) everything was normal, including my thyroid. My nutritionist and I got my calories up to 1600 per day when not working out and 1800 when I am. Protein up to 90g on non work out days and 120g on work out days. Carbs are trickier since I'm super sensitive to them, but we got them up to 35g on non work out days (up from 20-25) and 45g on work out days (up from 35). Healthy fats we upped to 70g on non work out days and 100g on work out days. My fluids are always good. Normally I drink around 80 fl oz on non work out days and 100+ on work out days, which 20 of those being an electrolyte drink like Prime hydration, Propel, or Gatorade zero. Being that I'm 2 years and 4 months removed from my 1st surgery and 1 year and 2 months removed from my revision, she's really surprised that I'm still losing. I said "You and me both, lady. Now how do I make it stop?" She said to just keep doing what I'm doing and hopefully my body will eventually hit it's set point and stop on its own. Um...what?? I'm now 15 pounds below my goal. I understand the whole "bounce back weight gain" or whatever it is, but that can't happen until my body finally picks a weight to settle at. I really don't like how I look at this point, and it's frustrating that nothing fits...again. I know it seems crazy to complain about this kind of thing, and believe me, I never EVER thought I would be the one doing it. But something's gotta give, you know? I'm really starting to look sickly, and in my line of work, that's not a good thing at all.

Had my gastric bypass on the 7th. Spent one night in the hospital. The gas pain is real. From my experience it seemed more intense than others have had. I have to be on a 2 week full liquid diet before I can start the puree phase. I can only get a bite or two of Jello down before I'm done. I could only get one protein shake down until today. Seems like I can take in more water than I should be able to. But, that's good. So that I can get the minimum of fluids in so I don't get dehydrated. I had glue, no staples. Overall, still sore nothing too painful just uncomfortable.

I am not one that does well with being patient and therefore I am in a terrible place mentally. I never thought about having surgery as I didn't know the options that are available today. Meeting with my Dr, we talked about Wegovy and the lifetime issues I has had with weight loss and the continued failure to do so. He suggested sleeve surgery. At first I was not going to consider it thinking it wasnt for me. After weeks of research I decided it was the exact thing I needed in my life. This is where the impatience comes in. I met with a surgeon for consultation and I started getting excited about all prospects of life changing results this would bring. - Lowering bp and getting off all meds - recovering some kidney function - getting rid of sleep apnea or at least losing enough BMI that I could get an implant because I cant keep my mask on - Being able to become an athlete again - Not needing an extension on the airplane - Other benefits that are personal. I waited a week for them to run my insurance and it was denied. Now I am stuck saving enough money to try and get it in the distant future. I am not mentally doing well with that fact. I got it in my head that I was going to get on the right path for me sooner rather than later. I looked into financing but I am a teacher and can not afford an extra "car payment". So I need to save and wait...impatiently.

I never even attempted to go the NHS route as knew it would be years. I’d toyed with the idea of surgery for a couple years, then I suddenly thought, what am I waiting for? No time like the present so just booked the consultation. There’s only one private hospital in my area of Scotland so it was Circle Health and Prof. Bruce for me. Both outstanding. I saw the psychologist and dietician within 2wks of the initial consultation and was then cleared for surgery. Zero complaints from me about any of the process, and apart from the constipation I’ve had a very easy recovery. So easy in fact I wasn’t sure what to do with myself. I expected to suffer, and know how to cope with that as I have endometriosis, but no suffering ensued. so I feel very fortunate. I’m trying to take each day, one at a time. Last week I was panicking worrying about putting back on weight I’ve yet to lose. Eejit. So that needed to be quelled. My energy level is good, I’ve been slowly increasing the distance I walk every day, I drove after a week and plan to returning to work one month post surgery, all being well. The future looks brighter for me from where I’ve been sitting. Wishing you as positive an experience as I’ve had .

I talked to the nurse the other day about some vomiting issues I had been experiencing, about 5 times in total over the past 2 weeks. While the first time was almost certainly due to overcooked/dry food, there was concern over the other times, especially a few days ago when I was sick twice in a day with quite a bit of pain and multiple times of fairly aggressive vomiting. I had a longer, more complicated surgery than usual (6 hours) due to some scarring and issues with my intestine, so my doctor decided I should go back to the liquid phase until I see him on April 2. Not gonna lie, 11 days of protein shakes and yogurt is not what I was hoping for. I thought they would say just avoid the foods that were making me sick. But I guess the doctor feels my systems need more time to heal. I can have some simple creamed soups, though, and plan to supplement those with unflavored protein because I can't stand the shakes and protein waters. At least I'm having no issues with hydration.

Thank you for this information. This is very helpful. I was on omeprazole for the first weeks after surgery but not now. I do take the generic Zofran to help with nausea, but not every day. Lately the host stomach and vomiting has been in spells. One day in fine then the next I'm getting sick so easily. I've been living on Tums which has caused some intestinal issues I believe. I only have a bowel movement about once every 4-5 days and when I do it's mostly mucus and no stool. It's been a real passion in the butt. Pun intended. Lol Anyone else dealing with similar intestinal issues?

i had an arm lift (and breast lift, and tummy tuck...all in one shot in Dec 2019). i always disliked my upper arms. when i was thin (and thought i was fat) i was self conscious of what i thought was the size of them and rarely wore sleeveless tops. then when i actually got fat i NEVER wore them. if i had to go to an event the warranted (an arm-baring) dress, i always wore a shawl. fast forward to the weight loss and i was left with some saggy jiggly upper arms. while they looked okay when my arms were at my sides, i really did not like the look of them flapping in the wind when i raised them, lol. and i raise them alot, ha...i'm one of those raise-your-arms-in-the-air-and-wave-them-like-you-just-don't-care kinda gals, lolololzzz. so i had them done about a year post op (6-ish months after i reached goal). LOVE EM. while i did wear sleeveless again after the weight loss, i feel a lot less self-conscious about them after the arm lift. and really, it makes all the difference :).. now i do have very prominent scars on my arms (i scar very badly, and knew this going in), but for some reason the scars dont bother me as much as the flapping did. Go figure. recovery is no joke though, i'll be honest. had i not done too much too soon, i would probably have been good to go by 6 weeks...but i didn't, so my recovery was more like 3+ months. that was over 5 years ago now, and i've been wearing tank tops and other sleeveless tops all year round since, hahaha. it really all boils down to what YOU are comfortable with...i was told by countless of people that i didn't need to/shouldn't get it done. but i got it anyway, because the only person who can say i need it is ME. if you have the means and the desire, the option is yours. Good luck! ❤️ some pics: 1st link: 6 months BEFORE the arm lift 2nd link: Day before VS 3 weeks after arm lift 3rd link: 6 months AFTER the arm lift

Well I’m feeling the same way. I lost so much weight in order to get the surgery now I’m hardly losing. I’m very frustrated I feel like I’m starving for nothing. I can’t hardly drink now I have to go get Hydration through IV 2x per week. I gained 10 pounds of water weight in one day. I’m almost 5 weeks out still waiting for that rainbow or not to regret my choice of having surgery.

Hello, all. I have been happily using soft-chew multi-vitamins from Bariatric Pal for the last four years. I live in Australia and shipping has always been expensive but manageable. I just placed an order for more vitamins and three types of protein snacks, and the cheapest shipping option was US$ 225! That is way more than usual--and more than I'm willing to pay. Can anyone recommend a comparable product that is available on Amazon? Thanks!

UPDATE: Surgery was Postponned again til January 26th. Finally got the surgery. 1 week and a little more still liquids wondering what I will eat for soft stage. Was never a soft stage either like mash potatoes and stuff. I left a message for nutrionist to see if I will be able to eat scrambled eggs, I will try and make them soggy. So the Soft food diet begins this Sat. On a side note going in to Surgery I was 275lb and today weighed myself and I am 259. I am already getting comments from my immediate family, what are they gonna say when i get below the 200lbs. This community is so great, thank you all!

After wading through insurance crud, I looked into self-paying and doing it thru Blossom Bariatric's Fast Track program in Las Vegas. My cost would be $6300 all-inclusive, including hotel and transport between hotel and facility for the five days. The selling points include convenience as opposed to the options available with my insurance (closest hospital covered by insurance is a 6-hr drive vs. a 90-min flight to LV), no worries about losing weight before the procedure and getting declined (I'm borderline 40BMI), and no 3- or 6-month waiting period. I have three concerns: 1) Post-surgery followup and care. 2) The "safe sleeve" procedure they do... I can find very little information about it. 3) Not being able to meet the surgeon prior to committing to surgery at the facility. So... has anybody out there had the "safe sleeve" procedure through Blossom Bariatrics in Las Vegas?

It doesn't sound like it. I know that the amount sounds like a lot compared to the can-only-eat-three-spoons-of-pureed-food-and-even-less-when-solid crowd but the amounts is not what strikes me odd. If the foods you're listing are fairly typical for a day of eating you simply might be lagging nutrients. No fruits at all, only a little bit of vegetables. I'm not surprised. The sodium content of the foods you listed seems to be fairly high. Quick weight loss or weight gain usually almost includes some water retention. My weight can swing up to almost 1 kg within one day because of how much water I hold. You say you want to start tracking. Are you a person who likes to track food, a person who abhors it (raises both hands simultaneously here) or a person who is not a fan but in the end doesn't mind it? Tracking foods/calories/macros can help people - however, it could be that you can benefit from a different food selection without even having to write everything down you eat. How far out of surgery are you? Are the stats you're listing in your profile still correct?

Congrats! That is great progress! Look how much you're able to do now that you weren't even a couple months ago, its amazing! Glad your health is improving so quickly! Yeah, I'm dreading my upcoming stall. I it's "when" and not "if" it happens for everybody. Just have to remember its just your body coming to terms with the drastically different caloric intake, and it will freak out periodically along the way. As long as we stick to the plan, we're still burning fat, even though our body is offsetting the scale number with fluid retention while it panics. It took years for us to put the weight on, so anything shorter than that makes our body interpret it as a threat. Once it realizes you're maintaining your health while burning the fat, it will gradually release it. Weight loss won't be linear, it will look more like stair steps with the occasionally brief increase (again, "Fake weight" since its fluid retention) before it steps down again.

The first couple days, just walking up down the hallway or across a parking lot will be all you'll feel like doing, but doing that while moving your arms is enough to get the gas pain to ease up considerably. You will get tired quickly those first few weeks, so plan to do things in short bursts followed by a short rest so you don't overdo it. I had my surgery on a Monday and I went back to work the next Monday, but I do work online from home. I've heard of people getting the sleeve go back to work after like 4 days, but I don't think I would want less than a week. I was able to walk a total of 3 miles on Day 4, but I was still on pain medicine and not thinking clearly. After I weaned off the meds I actually had to slow down for a few days until I adjusted. I did wait a week after coming off the pain meds to drive, but they did make me feel a little loopy and I wanted to play it safe. Physically I guess I could've driven sooner, but ask your doctor to be sure when it would be safe. Pain wasn't bad, just uncomfortable from the gas, but it would've been distracting to try to go back to work sooner. Other procedures are more involved and may need more time off. Same if there's a minor complication, or if your liver didn't shrink enough during the pre-op diet. It won't hurt your healing or weight loss, but the more they have to move around inside you, the longer you'll be sore.

Be gentle on yourself. You’ve never done this before so of course you have doubts & worries & questions & … Walk, walk, walk for gas pains. And yes arm movements will help too. The surgical gas is in your abdominal cavity (not in your tummy or intestines so gas-x doesn’t really help & neither does trying to burp or fart it out) & rises to sit behind your lungs putting pressure in nerves causing the shoulder pain. The gas is then absorbed into your lungs where you breathe it out hence why the activity is helpful. It’s usually all fine within a week. While you are healing (takes about 8 weeks to fully heal) & while you are losing, it’s important to follow your plan. You’ll have the best success that way. And ask questions of your team (or here) if something doesn’t make sense to you or you’re confused. Go slowly with your eating & drinking (sip, sip, sip) especially now & for the next months. Your tummy is healing. It’s very sensitive. Yes try different temps - I found warm drinks more soothing as cold drinks made my poor tummy cramp. You may find for a few weeks your tummy is very fussy & doesn’t like certain foods, flavours or textures. Even the smell of somethings can turn you off. It’s temporary & passes after a couple of months. In the long term you may choose to eat a lot of your old favourites. Smaller portions, less frequently, or variations of a favourite (ingredient swaps or changed cooking methods). That’s up to you & how you want to eat in the long term. In a few months you’ll look back & realise what you’ve achieved & how worth it it’s been. All the best.

I had VSG November 30th, and I’m over the liquid diet😩I’ve tried to get creative but really how creative can a girl get! I still have another week until I can add pureed foods but sheesh! I had a calcium citrate caramel chew today and it was everything 🙌🏼😩😭 just the fact I got to actually chew something was the highlight of my day!

Week 5 was soft food for me. While it’s been 4.75yrs for me I remember making a lot of minced beef dishes: savoury mince, meat balls, bolognese with zucchini noodles. Also made a couple of slow cooked stews/casseroles & chunky soups.. So all had well cooked soft vegetables & its own sauce/gravy to keep everything moist. Omelettes & yoghurt/yoghurt drink were also on rotation & I had rolled oats & scrambled eggs for breakfast. I wasn’t eating much either (was told 1/4-1/3 cup from purée). I’d eat one golf ball sized meat ball. Two egg scrambled eggs took 3 days to eat. Doubt I was consuming 400 calories & barely reaching my protein goal - was much like @ms.sss in that way except I almost made 900 calories by 6 months. Check your plan as there can be a number of differences between what we’re advised to eat. And check with your team if you want to try something ‘off plan’ first. Listen to your body. There maybe foods your tummy can’t tolerate. Don’t give up on them though. Just avoid them for a week or so & then try again. Good luck.

This is my first post, however I have been following this forum for years. I was banded by betancourt ( h/s is 20/20:sad0:) a few years back. After 2 surgeries, slippage and then erosion ( i lost 100lb) the band was removed. Guess what, I gained it all back. If I had known then what I know now, I would have never had the band. My ins has a WLS exclusion policy, so I am most likely going to be self payfor future- which i will do the sleeve. I will find out in 4 weeks if I qualify for medicaid. Ironically, they cover this surgery and DS. I would prefer to have DS = I think, due to long term WL sustainability. however I am a little sure of the malabsorbtion issues and "odors" if you know what I mean. If I don't get approved for medicaid I will be self pay. I am so scik of this weight and now it is Summer, I am thinking of just self paying and biting the bullet. However I only have about 10K to spend and all of the Dr i have contacted want more because it is a revision, US side about 13.5K. Including Aceves_12.5K Is it safe going to mex with the revision issue?So I am thinking about Jose Rodriguez or Ungson. I need some help here. Guidance please!

IMHO, you've made a good decision. Let me share a bit of my story to convince you to put the scale away... period. When I had surgery I was too large by far for a home scale. The only time I was weighed for about a year and a half after surgery was at my surgeon's office at monthly follow-ups. Because of this, I never saw a stall in my weight loss. At my follow-ups my weight loss was never the topic of discussion unless I brought it up. The discussion centered on how I was feeling, how my plan was going, life changes, how was I emotionally, any issues or concerns. I learned valuable lessons in these appointments. Eventually I was able to weigh on a home scale. I practically lived on the scale for a couple weeks until the novelty wore off, then I never used it again. I knew how I was doing by how I felt, my plan compliance, how my clothes felt, my health, happiness and a number of other considerations. These are still my measurements. We don't need a scale to follow our plans. The number on a scale does not tell you how well you are following your plan. In some cases, the number on the scale may tempt you to change your successful plan. It's great not being ruled by a number on a scale and simply paying attention to the important stuff. Good luck, Tek

1. What was the best part of surgery for you? The best part is also the hardest to explain. The best way I can put it is that pre-surgery, I had a demon in my stomach. This demon demanded rich foods and thought that if one of something tasted good, then four of something would taste amazing (this made the demon a liar, but I had to obey these lies). The surgery removed the demon. I no longer feel controlled by cravings. 2. What was the worst part of surgery for you? The 48 hours prior to the surgery were miserable. I could only have water, Gatorades and black coffee. Then I had to take strong laxatives prior to the surgery, so I was defecating so much that my body was expelling food I hadn't even eaten yet. And I couldn't go to sleep because any flatulence had the potential to be ... explosive. So it's 1 am, I am starving, dehydrated, sitting on the john and I need to be at the hospital at 5:30. 3. Did you have any complications (minor or major) during or after your surgery? Nothing major. I greatly underestimated how sore my stomach would be and how long it would take for the soreness to go away. I am a stomach sleeper and it was three months before I felt comfortable sleeping on my stomach. 4. How has adjusting to your new life been for you? I love the new life. I am able to exercise (bike, jog, lift weights) like I never have, I have great energy. I can shop at pretty much any clothing store. It has allowed me to become a better version of myself. 5. How long did it take you to feel comfortable eating food? It was probably 8 months to a year before I felt like I could try any food and not have to worry about my stomach having trouble. 6. Is there anything you can’t eat anymore that you used to enjoy? Can't eat, as in, I physically cannot handle it? Nothing. But there are plenty of things that I used to love that I am uninterested in. Like I have no desire to eat a donut. Just seems like pure sugar to me. 7. What was your recovery like? Any vomiting or dumping syndrome? I did not have dumping syndrome (although some sugar alcohols hit my stomach hard). I did have some vomiting, but it was either due to eating too fast or eating a food that my stomach wasn't ready to handle yet (I had some stewed beef at like the 90 day mark and I wasn't as ready for it as I thought I was. 8. How long did it take you to feel semi-normal after surgery? I would say 90-120 days before I felt physically normal (could sleep on my stomach, could handle most foods) 9. Did you experience higher energy level post surgery? In the immediate aftermath of the surgery, no. This was my first (and so far, only) major surgery and I really underestimated how much it would sap my energy. I was walking gingerly for a while. But once I fully recovered, I have had way more energy. 10. Did surgery affect your mental health? Yes, in mostly good ways. The pre-surgery success-failure cycle of yo-yo dieting impacted my psyche way more than I realized. So this state of long-term success helped greatly (and success, both great and small, is an excellent anti-depressant). Will it cure your depression? Absolutely not. To the extent that you think your problems in life are caused by your size ("I'm single because I'm overweight" or "My weight is why they won't give the promotion" or "my weight is why my mother is passive-aggressive toward me"), the surgery will not make those problems go away. I'm very lucky and very blessed to live an amazing life and the weight-loss has only further revealed what an amazing and blessed life I have. 11. Do you regret it? Would you recommend it? I do not regret it. I make it a personal policy not to outright recommend it to anyone because everyone has their own journey. For many years, I saw bariatric surgery as a last resort, a kind of "pull in case of emergency" lever. I realized that I was 40+ yrs old with a wife and children and no diet had ever worked for me and I was only fooling myself if I thought the next one would do the trick. I had to either pull the lever or make peace with being morbidly obese for the rest of my life. I pulled the lever and I would pull it again without hesitation.

I second the suggestion of getting a few four packs and seeing what you like after surgery. I drank protein shakes the first couple of days when I could barely stay awake to drink them and get my water in. I liked the Fairlife ones the best but many like Premeir. I’m on day 8 of post-op full liquid now (3 weeks for my program) and have shifted toward the savory. I made a turkey bone broth and a beef Asian spiced bone broth before surgery and froze in pint containers. You can buy bone broth or bariatric broth packets as well. I've been rotating between those and “healthy” canned cream soups mixed with Fairlife milk - adding additional protein powder as needed. I spotted my miso in the back of the fridge tonight and am going to add that to the mix tomorrow. I strain everything I make through a fine mesh strainer and add plain protein powder to meet requirements. I think the variety of options is helping me get thru.

Lap band surgery 2004, nothing but pain & discomfort, no weight loss. Especially port sight hurt, lots of throwing up. After several attempts for help I started to just “live with it”. Married a wonderful man about 2 years ago, he said No your quality of life is more important. Went to doctors with me and he detailed everything (stuff I didn’t think to mention). I was referred to an excellent gastric surgeon. After tests and imaging, he said “the band needs to be removed and a bypass RNY performed. I was scheduled within a week, no waiting time. Best thing I ever did! The band was cutting into my liver, and other issues. I had a bit of discomfort but no pain meds other than Tylenol. I had this done May 15,2023, I have lost 70 pounds and feel great. Wear a size 4-6 jeans. I hope this helps someone. I think the band is the worst choice!