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I am wondering about how long food stays in our stomach once we can eat real foods, not liquids and sliders, compared to a normal stomach. I read a normal stomach takes 4-5 hours to fully empty. I asked my surgeon’s nurse this and she had no answer. Also, can someone describe what their digestion felt like in the first 2 weeks. Should I feel lots of gas and acid with things like yogurt or cottage cheese?

I started with a low carb lifestyle and plan to stick to it as a lifestyle vs a diet. It’s what helps make the tool work for me. I also have to do lower calories probably than most. I do strict regime.mi didn’t quite start out this way but learned along the way that keeping daily record of my weight, protein and calorie goals and my planned meals for the day, helps. I calculate minimum daily protein based on weight, 0.36 grams protein per 1lb body weight. i started out April 2019 at 208lbs BMI 40.6 Height 5’ by month six I was down to 136lbs and I’d lost 72lbs each person is different in their approach and how much they lose. I am unable to exercise due to medical conditions and disability. I have to compensate in other ways. (Honestly exercise isn’t for weight loss, exercise is to build muscle because muscle burns more calories than fat but for me exertion of any kind weakens my muscles, actually ages them) Since reaching goal now that I’m a little over a year after surgery- I have added a little bit of fruit for fiber and vitamins. Like a manzano banana with my yogurt. And either a pear or an apple at night. That is when I can get them. And occasionally a couple blackberries. Otherwise I’m strict low carb. I followed low carb low calorie for years but it wasn’t sustainable until I had the added tool of gastric bypass surgery and reached a weight loss goal I have never reached at any point in my life. Of course not including being under ten years old 🤣

Yes I think so too - I'm better today - just tired and being doing a lot of yard work with hardly any calories - this Jello and yogurt etc aint keeping a woman going strong!!

My drain is still in and made a bloody mess on the gown and bed. Thank you for your words of encouragement. I am just lost on how to do this and they gave me Yoplait yogurt with 20 grams of sugar so I am confused

I had gastric bypass surgery due to lifelong chronic illness, disability, metabolic disorders and inability to exercise. one being PCOS. Although now I no longer have ovaries but that’s a long story. I was doing a low carb lifestyle (I always will be) and low calorie years before surgery but it wasn’t enough. I needed extra help. I also had gallbladder surgery at the same time due to chronic inflammation. I am a little over a year out from surgery now. I keep daily log of weight, meals, calories and protein. I usually like to try to plan a few days of meals. I also take notes of any medical issues, symptoms and doctors appointments. It might be OCD of me and I do keep strict calories and had very low calories from the start. Since I have reached goal I did increase them somewhat to where I’m comfortable. I don’t eat a lot of meat with exception of occasional low carb foods from “Real good foods” they make chicken enchiladas I like. And breakfast sandwich with cauliflower buns. I didn’t eat these until close to a year post surgery. initially I stuck to PEScience protein powder mixed with 6 ounces unsweetened ripple milk, also BariatricPal protein soups, BariatricPal protein shots, juice flavor protein drinks. And later I’d started mixing the protein powder into Greek yogurt. Purée stage was tough for me. I stuck to very simple things a long time to avoid purée that made me feel sick. I eventually started soft boiled egg. And gradually added veggie burger. Just took it all slow. example Of my meals now: breakfast a protein bar with tea, lunch varies depending what’s in my freezer but not by much I like a veggie burger with an egg on top for extra nutrition and variety of texture and flavor or different variations of that with different vegetarian foods that are low carb and calorie. My dinners are actually Greek yogurt with 1/2 scoop protein powder, a baby banana, a drizzle of sugar free syrup (choczero chocolate is awesome stuff) and some sugar free land o lakes whipped cream. I’ve taken to mixing the yogurt with the protein powder (usually plain fage or TwoGood) then putting it in the freezer 30 minutes then mixing before eating ... I put a bit of pink salt when I mix it. It does something to the flavor. I keep to my portions and calories. But it’s enough for me. I’d say my calories ranged 300-480 averaging 380. I am now starting to average 480-550. Maybe seems crazy low. (I’m still baffled how before surgery I was gaining weight on 800 calories) I’m working on maintenance and finding balance. I also don’t count calories from the little bit of creamer I use (I use quest salted caramel protein shake as creamer) or the little bit of olive oil for cooking, or the calories of the banana ... but it’s been working out fine. all the best to you on your journey this is the protein I use in case you are interested http://rwrd.io/c6uus2e

I tried small curd cottage cheese and yogurt yesterday. I had a red and hot face after and then heartburn. Does this mean allergy? It doesn’t seem to happen with cream of wheat.

I too took a very strict approach, especially going up against metabolic disorders and inability to exercise. I note daily my weight, food intake, protein and calories. As a general rule I get minimum 0.36 grams protein per 1lb body weight. I started very low calorie and low carb never more than 5 grams of sugar as per my nutritionist. I was very slow to enter purée phase. I had protein shakes. it took me a while to find one I could tolerate. For me I used PEScience Select protein powder and 6 ounces of Ripple milk (pea protein milk plain unsweetened which added protein for practically no carbs) which was 160 calories, 30 grams protein and no more than 3-4 carbs. They did a lot of work to get the healthiest protein blend and best taste. I now mix it with Greek yogurt either plain nonfat Fage or TwoGood yogurt and half a scoop (I measure everything on a scale though) and it mixes to a frosting like texture. link for PEScience http://rwrd.io/c6uus2e I couldn’t do bariatric vitamins. I needed ones without added iodine. But I personally recommend Whole Foods based vitamins. It’s tough to budget in but I preferred Garden of life Whole Foods multivitamins (prenatal) my nutritionist approved of them and any sugar (below 5 grams) came from natural foods ingredients. I take a separate calcium with vit d, hair skin and nails formula, omegas, and some people take b12 and vitamin k. Your doctor should do bloodwork to check vitamin levels to recommend any extra supplements. I know the hardest part is getting your head in the right place and working on food addiction. I had fought this years before having gastric bypass surgery. My lifelong chronic illness fought me in other ways. The biggest battle I think is the sugar addiction. Once you realize there are healthy versions of sweet things and that small portions of protein can satisfy you and that we eat to live rather than live to eat, it’s one step ahead on the journey. Like Superman84 said. It’s time to get strict with yourself. Cut out sugar, carbs and soda. It’s a hard addiction to kick. But if I did it, anyone can. You can too. Remove temptations from your reach as well. And ... just keep taking it one step at a time.

I went into gastric bypass surgery with chronic illness and many medical issues, I also had my gallbladder removed at the same time. It’s been a rough road and it took me a lot of trial and error to find things I could tolerate and I took it slow. Right of the bat I was sick and had a lot of problems with getting into purée foods. I found a protein powder that worked. It’s quite possible that you were consuming things that you were allergic or had sensitivity to. Not all protein shakes are equal either. For me I did best with PEScience protein powder. I stuck to very simple things , very low carb as well. And always protein first. I got protein soup mixes from BariatricPal. Protein shots for when I could barely tolerate anything. Instead of purée meat I started mixing protein powder with Greek yogurt. Even eggs at that point were a no go. Eventually I slowly added a soft boiled egg here and there. Until it’s become fairly regular. A Low calorie low carb protein bar for breakfast with tea. My lunches are simple even now I’m a year in. I started with some BariatricPal protein pasta, then slowly changed it over to adding veggie burger with an egg on top. Dinner well that’s almost always Greek yogurt with protein powder. And some sugar free topping. And a baby banana. It took things extremely slow. I still struggle and have issues. I always will that’s just me personally. But I think you shouldn’t be afraid. Things are probably different now, the surgery has improved, you can have a better nutrition guide. Maybe the dietary guidelines included something causing you to dump too often. Or you were not mindful of portions and eating slow. A lot of times surgeons don’t give proper nutrition guidance and that leads to problems. My nutritionist was very helpful. Although for me I’d already been following low carb for years I needed the added tool of bypass to help me. Learn to be mindful of your body and what your pouch doesn’t like. And take it slow and easy. As long as you get protein there’s no race to eating solid food or even purée. I find it helps to take daily note of weight, food intake, protein and calories. Protein should be based on weight starting at 0.36 grams protein per 1lb body weight. And also no more than 5 grams of sugar in a meal. Especially starting out. I guess to some it might seem obsessive but it’s helped me and yes I’m ocd and on the Autism spectrum. I use the notes section on my iPad and the same format each day and note if I see a doctor and any health issues that come up. For me it was fight to get the tool of gastric bypass surgery to help against weight gain from metabolic disorders and inability to exercise, a fight that’s exhausted me most of my life ... or just give up. it sounds Like this is very important to your wellbeing. There really is no choice here but to take that step forward. I wish you all the best in your journey.

I also went through a period when I wanted to stop losing weight and up calories. Try: nuts, nut butters, olive oil, potatoes/starchy veg, full-fat dairy (milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, regular cheese), salmon & other oily fish, avocados, and my own personal favourite: chicharron!

Can you ask the your doc or pharmacist if they medication comes in other forms? (I took Omeprazole in sublingual tablet form for the first 3 months, then switched over to regular capsules afterwards). Also, you can try mixing your crushed meds with a little bit of greek yogurt...

I used the calculator in the link out of curiosity. I never expected to reach goal let alone surpass it, despite metabolic disorders and inability to exercise amongst other things. Albeit I’m probably fairly obsessive since I have taken a daily log of weight, meals, protein and calories. And stuck with low carb. With exception of adding banana to my yogurt now. And since I don’t snack usually an apple. I’ve increased calories gradually. And still adapting. And struggle with that fear of regain. According to the chart: GASTRIC BYPASS 80% of patients reach at least 145 lbs 18 months after surgery. 50% of patients reach at least 132 lbs 18 months after surgery. 20% of patients reach 119 lbs 18 months after surgery. Of course the chart is based on my starting height and weight I entered. I’m 5’ started at 208lbs. I hit one year April 29th. And my current weight is 102lbs. I don’t think I actually processed that I lost 106lbs and I’ve not been this weight as long as I can remember. Calculate How Much You’ll Weigh 2 Years After Surgery https://www.obesitycoverage.com/how-much-will-you-weigh-after-surgery/

I had my surgery March 9th, then all the lockdown started. The surgeon did a brief tele conf, a couple of times. Was really abrupt. The office was closed to questions. I had shakes and soups for the first two weeks. The first month the scale hadn’t moved, except one day to go up two pounds, that stayed for three weeks. Very frustrating, to say the least. I got a free app for my phone, called ProTracker. Counts calories and nutrients. I found when I went to 1100 calories, things started moving. I eat very small portions of Greek yogurt, chicken, lean pork chop, tuna, garden meatballs, for main meals. Supplement with small fruit portion, or the bariatric bars and snacks. Absolutely no support. Need someone to tell me I’m doing this right.

I definitely understand that. When I started with my trainer I started cutting back. But I didn’t realize that i had cut back so much. I was literally eating OMAD and a protein shake after my workout. Now I am being more cognizant about what I’m eating. I am now using my fitnesspal to track my food. And now that I’m wfh it’s easier to tell myself hey you haven’t eaten anything in about 2 hours grab some fruit or something. So over the last few days I can say I have upped my calorie intake. Today I ate about 1400 calories but that’s because I was making sure that every other hour I was eating. Whether it was fruit or yogurt. After reading some responses I truly think I haven’t been eating enough and with working out 5 days a week my body was going into starvation mode and hanging on to the food.

**** ton of protein man. Yogurt has become my best friend. The 80 cal light and fits. 12 G protein. And they aren’t that filling. How are you making out with everything else?

Hey there! I had gastric sleeve surgery on 1/31/2020 and here's my story. I attended the free 12 week orientation classes June 2019 thru Sept 2019 at Kaiser. My insurance paid for everything and I had no issues getting approved. My only out of pocket expense was a $100 co-pay for the hospital stay. Wonderful insurance, I know. Luckily, I had no medical issues making me very low risk for the surgery. My surgeon recommended that I get the Bypass and I changed my mind on procedure the day of surgery and switched to the Sleeve. My reasoning is simple...I didn't want to reroute my intestines and I didn't want to chance vitamin deficiencies or dumping syndrome. I fasted on clear liquids the day prior to surgery and it was hell. I had an interview on fasting day and wanted so badly to stuff my face, being an emotional eater (i did get the job!). I went to bed super early the night before surgery because I had a massive headache and mood swings from fasting. My surgery was at 1pm and because of the fasting... I wish I scheduled a morning surgery. The nurse that prepped me for surgery was an idiot. Why on earth would I be able to pee for a pregnancy test after having no fluids since the day before?! I could barely pee and what I did pee didn't make it in the cup lol I got 2 tiny drops of pee in the cup and guess what? It was enough for the pregnancy test. The nurse stuck me 7 times looking for a vein. 7 times. Not just a poke either, like she was really digging. She tried my forearm, the top of my arm, and both hands before calling for help. I woke up in recovery in extreme pain, nausea and was thirsty. I said "I'm thirsty and my stomach hurts really bad" and the nurse said yeah you just had stomach surgery. I wanted to sock her in the face. They made me wait 6 hours for pain medication and water. The night nurses sucked and the day nurses were great. I used the call button every 1-2 hours for more pain meds which they could only give me every two hours. I called after 45 mins and said "did you give me a full or half dose?" lmao but I was serious. The built up gas hurt and my throat was sore. I tried really hard to push the gas out and ended up sharting in my bed. I walked often because I badly wanted to go home. Coming home was nice and I wasn't hungry but still thought about food a lot. I followed the rules and sipped my water and protein shakes and jello. I only took a week off from work because I wanted my routine back. The doctor told me it was too soon because of brain function is usually low this early on. He said "do you want to go back because you're bored or because it's a money thing" and I said "I'm bored as hell" and he said "then no, you can't go back yet." I didn't listen and have no regrets. I started taking the pill form of multivitamin early on because the the ones you eat made me gag. I slowly introduce foods as instructed and my staples are yogurt, protein shakes, salmon, cottage cheese, and veggies. I keep my meals simple. I had my 3 month check up today and I'm on track. I've lost 50 lbs total since surgery. I'm aware that weight loss with the sleeve is slower but I'm okay with it. Each week I can physically feel and see my body changing for the better. I exercise daily by walking 1-2 miles, I feel great, and I have more energy. This is the one and only time that I've had surgery. It was rough at times but overall a good experience. I am happy that I did it and have a long road ahead

I will admit my one addiction is having a baby banana 🍌 with yogurt for dinner. Manzanos I think they are called. Not always easy to find though. That and sugar free land o lakes whipped cream. peanut butter powder is probably the healthier option but will give the same flavor to the mix.

I’ve bought the enchiladas locally at Publix grocery, but recently placed an order online since they had a special offer to get free choczero syrups. Also if anyone uses the link I posted they get $10 off. It’s free shipping with $50. It seems like a lot but I shopped the flash sale and the special deal. I got chicken enchiladas, beef enchiladas and breakfast sandwiches. Plus You do earn rewards buying online. I’m trying to avoid the grocery too often. Check out their Facebook page they have a ongoing contest to win a gift card. I haven’t tried their ice cream yet. But it’s got great ingredients that I know wouldn’t bother my pouch. I just wish it were less calories. It would be more of a meal for me. Then again my dinners are plain Fage Greek yogurt with protein powder, a baby banana and some sf whipped cream.

18 months out from sleeve surgery, I'm still a pescatarian. Note that I wasn't able to eat some of this stuff for quite some time after surgery. Lost about 120 (gained a bit from my low, but have been maintaining here for a couple months). Some typical meals for me: * Stuff I ate in soft food stage (note YMMV because different docs have different rules. Might also be different with the RNY) **stuff i ate as I transitioned to real food (same caveat) Breakfast * Greek yogurt/cottage cheese (after soft food stage: add blueberries) *scrambled egg An egg and some veggies (scrambled, fritatta, crustless quiche, etc) Lunch/Dinner **crustless quiche (in early stages, be careful what you put in the quiche - I now do broc, but couldn't eat that until I was almost a year out) *Ricotta bake Baked sweet potato with black beans and some greek yogurt mixed with chipotle peppers. If I'm feeling fancy add soem avocado (*soft food appropriate if you cook the potato and beans really well and mash them REALLY well) Tofu and veg with some sauce **Tuna salad * Egg Salad **Fish with veg Shrimp with Veg *Hummus bowl or **falafel Breakfast hash (sauteed kale, roasted sweet potato, poached egg) Salad with fish or shrimp or beans Bean chili About once a month a pita pizza (small pita, tomato sauce, mozz, and veg) Curry chickpeas Snacks fruit (sometimes and apple w/peanut butter), veg, almonds, cheese, parm chips, guac, hummus

So, I guess since I hit 18 months post-op, I'm a vet. I've been thinking a lot about the surgery over the last few weeks. And since I'm stuck at home and don't really have anyone to talk this out with, I'm just going to put it here. I don't really think I have a question, just want to get it all out of my head. I really don't know how I feel about my surgery 18 months out. I had a ROUGH first 14 months or so after surgery. Well, I actually had a super time easy through month three, then I got really, really sick. Couldn't eat anything other than stuff that was basically yogurt consistency (after easily moving through the stages of food and eating shrimp/veg for dinner most nights). And the doc couldn't figure it out. To get more than about 300-400 cals a day, I had to mainline milk (protein shakes also made me violently ill, even though I'd tolerated them well the first few months). Anytime I ate anything moderately like food, I got an incredible pain in my abdomen. I remember at one point about 4 months after surgery being in so much pain I was in the fetal position sobbing on the phone to my surgeon's office begging for help). So I lost steadily, but felt like death on a stick because I was always in pain and wasn't getting enough nutrition. After about a year, I suddenly started feeling a bit better, but still couldn't eat most veggies or starches. I plateaued because I was suddenly able to eat more like 800 calories/day (doc/NUT rec at that point was more like 1000-1200). Then a couple months ago, I started to get to where I can eat most things (raw veg and some of the tougher veggies still hard) and I'm hungry all the time. I am SO grateful that I feel better, but I gained like 15 lbs in a month. I've been steady at that for a bit, but would really like to not be where I am. I feel like I eat healthy foods, and, frankly, I'm still not at that high a cal intake according to my NUT (1200-1500 give or take, she says most folks at my stage could be up more like 1800), but I just can't seem to lose,. Healthy BMI would be just under 170. I had gotten down to 183 (sustained - I got down to 179 for one day, but I don't really count that). I was fairly happy there. Ideally, I'd be in the 170s, I'd be happy in the 180s. The 190s is making me panicky. It kind of makes me sad that I'm still over 25# overweight eating roughly 1200-1500 cals. Would love to be about 15 lbs lighter (still overweight, but I feel OK at that weight). And, frankly, I am really afraid of regain - and I'm just not sure I can eat fewer cals. And I'm hungry a lot (legit stomach hunger, not brain hunger). I'm pretty good about what I eat (I keep a fruit/veg/healthy protein bowl near my work station to snack on. Eat protein/veg for B/L/D). Heck, since I'm home I really don't have much unhealthy stuff to eat. I suppose if I stabilize where I am, it is still better than where I was. But, frankly, if I gain much more I'm not sure that the cost/benefit is really worth it for me. So, that's where I am 18 months out from surgery. Not really looking for advice, just wanted to get my musings out there. Thanks! Edited to add - I'd started a C25K before this whole pandemic thing and got to the beginning of week 5. But now I've had to stop because I can't run with a mask on and, frankly, even if I could there are too many people out in my neighborhood to make social distancing possible/safe. I wonder where I'll have to restart when this is all over.

Yum! One of my favorites... I love fresh blueberries and slivered almonds + cinnamon, too. I usually have this several times a week. Also, love pineapple tidbits and banana mix. I am not a yogurt fan. So, Breakstone 2% low-fat - 45% less sodium cottage cheese small curd is a go to staple. What brand do you like?

First of all great news on beating cancer! Were you are are you currently on steroids or any meds that can contribute to weight gain? I had surgery 6 years post cancer, so it’s different than your experience. I went from 150 lbs at breast cancer diagnosis to 225 Lbs, 5 years later. I gained at a quick pace and while the (hardcore) treatment saved my life it zapped me for quite sometime. I’m only mentioning this so you can ask your Doctor, it’s frustrating and it helps to know what you’re up against. Here is what I would do. Talk to my Doctor Take vitamins Research any current meds and talk with your Doctor about any concerns. subscribe to a fitness routine or app at home Journal everything you eat in My fitness pal. Limit your calories wear a Fitbit or a comparable device Drink water until it’s coming out of your ears stock up on lean meats, fruits, yogurt and veggies. Acorn squash is my go to when I want something starchy. Keep yourself accountable. Congratulations again, You’ve proven your tough, you’ve done this before and you can do it again. It will probably take longer since you have less to lose but you’ll get there. Im rooting for you!

I am working from home and playing FV2 to pass the time. Still living on cottage cheese, greek yogurt, shrimp cocktail, protein shakes and filet mignon and asparagus. If I want a snack, that's cashews or raw veggis with my zero cal/carb ranch dressing. Really boring as far as diet goes, but I have lost 58 lbs without any exercising since the week before Thanksgiving, just modified my dietary habits radically, gave up carbs which used to be my favorite food group and any alcohol. I didn't go out much before other than to work, since I had my surgery, I couldn't eat in restaurants anyway so I wasn't going anywhere anyway so this stay home thing doesn't represent that much of a change for me other than no longer leaving to go to work.

I get up, shower and put on workout clothes in the morning, increasing my chances of working out later. I've been doing Pilates class via Zoom and then running my dogs around the neighborhood, which helps keep us all sane. I try to keep a lot of "good" snacks around like string cheese, Greek yogurt Built Bars, etc. so when I go for a snack it's not junk. My goal for the pandemic is maintenance. No need to put more stress on myself, but that's just the way my brain works.

I have made chicken salad with Greek yogurt, apple and celery. I found Joseph’s reduced carb, high protein pita bread at BJs (I think it’s just over $3/20 pcs) and each pita/wrap is only 60 calories. It’s got flax, oat bran and whole wheat flour and tastes good.

@BayouGirlMrsS this sounds like a well balanced plan! Thanks for sharing. I have an appointment with my nutritionist in May and I am going to discuss coming up with a plan that works for ME! Researching online, it seems like a lot of people implement their own plans because I see a variety of Keto, IF, counting macros. I haven’t tried the yogurt you mentioned but I will. I either buy Dannon Light and Fit or Chobani.