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I've been told my eventual goal will be 3 meals per day, 20-25g protein per meal, which is equal to 3-4 oz cooked meat (palm size/deck of cards). After protein, I should prioritize non-starchy vegetables, followed by fruit, followed by starchy veg and grains, which are limited to 1/2 c portion. My program avoids giving specific macros because everyone is different and also I think to get away from dieting mentality. I was told to space meals 4-6 hours apart and avoid snacking (this is for after the early stages when you need to eat more frequently). Basically, when your appetite starts to return, stick with the limits of 20-25g protein and 1/2 c starch/grain, and eat as much non-starchy veg and fruit as you like until you feel satisfied (instead of taking bigger meat and starch portions as we might be tempted to do). Oh, and choose low-fat or non-fat options when available and stay away from added sugar. They're okay with stevia and sucralose but frown on sugar alcohols.

I'm 6wks out now and I still have nausea and stomach pain everyday. I can do maybe 24oz of water/gatorade zero a day at most. The nausea isn't limited to food, it affects my water and vitamins too. The most I've been able to eat at 1 time is 1.5 greek yogurt cups, the least is like 3 small bites of food the entire day. I'm back in the hospital because my potassium was critically low, they checked to see if my gallbladder was the issue and it's not. They did say recovery is different for everyone but that it is still abnormal that I am having this much trouble eating. It's especially weird bc other than the pain and nausea I feel okay, despite how low my labs have been at each followup. I guess I was too ambitious in trying to hit water, protein, and vitamin goals all at once. But of the 3 you'd say hydration should be the priority over vitamins? I wish someone had tips on how to deal with the stomach pain. I am taking gas x, hyoscyamine, omeprazole, and ondansetron religiously at least 2 times a day. Not to mention reheating a hot water bottle during the day and sleeping with it at night. All of that just so I can get out of bed and walk around.

awwww bummer, I had turkey meatloaf the other day, it was very soft and so tasty. I only ate 1oz of it and felt so satisfied, or cottage cheese and peaches. I also heard some make deviled eggs, I havent tried this yet but its on my meal plan for the week

Hi, @AnyaC! I'm Andrea. I haven't been scheduled yet, but given the requirements of my insurance, I think I'll be having surgery in August or September. So if we're not exactly September surgery buddies, we're probably going to be close. Right now, I've had my surgeon consult, a zillion blood tests, and my first dietician visit. I have several other required pre-op appointments scheduled, including an endoscopy (tube down the throat to look at my esophagus and entrance of my stomach). Not looking forward to that, but it's my surgeon's standard and he's done about a million bariatric surgeries, so I guess he knows what he's doing. I've just gone from drinking tons of carbonated beverages to 2 cans a day. Thought it would be really hard since I get my caffeine from diet Coke (don't like coffee) but it's been easy so far. I'm reading everything I can get my hands on, trying to learn all I can. I'm about a month into my new exercise routine. I work from home so I got a treadmill and I walk during meetings. I'm doing 20 minutes, 3 times each workday, so it's a mile and a half currently. Monday I will go to 25 minutes. I want to be in the best shape I can for surgery! So what do you have to do pre-op? How are you feeling about it all?

When they do surgery often they tilt the table and it can put a lot of pressure on your lower spine/back. I've had multiple surgeries done and each time I have lower back pain for weeks because it pisses off the arthritis in my back when they tilt the table and I lay that way for hours. LOL I also got back pain as the weight started to come off at first. I don't know why it was worse then than now, but it was. I think it is because of the change in center of gravity, as noted above. If you notice you are needing pain meds for it or it is worsening, definitely ping your doctor about it. Oh and if you still have a uterus it could be cramping from that locale too. I used to feel that a LOT in my lower back before my hysterectomy.

You will look lighter than you are. A few weeks ago i was talking to a coach who's been working with strength athletes for decades, a guy who knows what weight looks like on bodies. He looks at me and is like, you're what 120 pounds now? I was just barely into the 150s. I'm in the 140s now and I'm practically skeletal. I'm much, much thinner than when I was this weight as a teenager. I had initially set a goal of the highest calculated ideal weight for my height and am now thinking that if I actually reach it I'll need to buy clothes from the kids section. Which.... I mean, there's way more dinosaur print options so I'm not necessarily complaining. So let that influence your goals.

Hey!!! Another December 27th person. I think we have more than 3 now!! I have been going through all the stuff my doctors and nutritionist gave me. Organized my meal plans by weeks and just finished ordering the list of stuff they suggested. I already had most of it from previous diets. hopefully one of the other people will post too. They have made some plans for family for the first few weeks to make things easier. They have some great ideas too.

Hey there! I'm working on hydration. I have tried sugar-free jello and popsicles. Since I've been nauseous, I haven't wanted much in the way of sweets. I did manage to finish a sugar-free popsicle last night. I think the iron is getting to me, too. It's definitely not helping with constipation! The entire multivitamin is making me gag. They have me taking it at night for a week to see if that helps. So far, I can't tell any difference. This nausea is no fun! I hope you find a way to resolve the iron issue!

Traveling cross country 5 weeks post-op sounds like a big adventure! It's great that you're feeling up to it. When it comes to moving your stuff, you might want to consider hiring a moving company to help out. I've heard good things about Moving company Lund, but I've never used them myself. They could make the whole process a lot smoother and less stressful for you. Since you're still in the early stages of recovery, it might be a good idea to pack light and take plenty of breaks along the way. Maybe even plan your route so you can stop and stretch your legs and rest when needed. Also, don't forget to check in with your healthcare provider before you hit the road to make sure it's safe for you to travel. Your health and well-being should always come first.

Hi everyone My surgery date is 4/30 so close enough to join the May group 🤣 1. I am excited to start this journey! I do have anxiety as well because I had a procedure done years ago that didn't work well. I had a lap band done back in 2005 with NO SUCCESS. The band was nothing but a problem. It flipped twice and the port moved so all of the saline was removed, and it's just been hanging out with me ever since. 2. For my hospital bag, I plan on wearing the same comfy clothes home that I wore in. I'm bring my crocs, chapstick, a long phone charger, a couple protein shakes because I was told by my surgeon that their options were not the greatest, and a heating pad. 3. I am excited to finally get some of this weight off of me!! I have lost the 60lbs (and gained the same 60lbs) since 5th grade, I swear. My son is 14 and I'm excited to be able to finally ride amusement park rides with him. We got this!!

I completely understand your chaos and hope your surgery went well today! As to the constipation question - *absolutely* dealt with that during the liquid diet stage. I'm pretty sure it's the cutting out of almost all sugar and whatever they put in the protein shakes that does it. They had me taking 100mg of Colace twice a day during my liquid diet. I wanted to encourage you to ask for ice packs while in the hospital to help you manage your pain! I'm a week post op at home now and seem to have an ice pack against my abdomen probably 20 minutes out of every hour, still. It isn't that I'm hurting horribly, my pain is managed unless I stand for too long (NEVER would have thought merely standing long enough to cook breakfast would be so exhausting) but that ice pack and laying back at an angle is everything relief can be, at least for me personally. I'm very surprised I had to actively ASK for ice packs in the hospital; I wouldn't have thought to do so if I hadn't had a friend go through the same surgery and clue me in. Just remember the main thing about these surgeries is that there's a short road from your mouth to your belly afterward, and it has what I call a 'valve' toward the top of your stomach. You literally have to treat your belly like you would a baby and 'burp' yourself - walking helps, sitting upright and taking small sips, then rocking back and forth helps - but do NOT try to add more fluid until the tightness in your chest is relieved by a burp. It's like pumping gas into a car or like I said - burping a baby. There's a short tube from mouth to stomach and it only holds a few ounces. Until you burp and that tightness around your chest fades with the fluid being allowed to flow into your belly it literally is at maximum and efforts to drink more WILL make it come back up. I even waited to sip fluids if I knew I had to take medicine soon, to make sure I left room for the fluid it would take to get the pills down. Hopefully this helps you or someone else in recovery! I learned my lesson the first night after my surgery, one week ago - and the reflux / sicking up when I tried to go too fast did NOT feel good. I also 100% recommend getting up and slowly walking around as SOON as you can. THAT is what will make the pain start diminishing, because it rocks your body and works the gas they pumped in you for surgery back out. Best wishes! I hope it's going great for you! (ETA - Also, best wishes to your husband! I hope you two have someone on hand to help you out during your recoveries, and I will tell you from experience that it probably will feel like you're dropping more on the floor than ever before, simply because leaning down to pick it up would be painful! It requires discipline, especially if you tend toward being OCD like me, but trust me when I say trying to bend over to pick up a dropped 'whatever' is usually NOT worth it. Hugging an ice pack to your abdomen while you walk also helps tremendously at first.)

It's not that you need hard truth, you just need to face some truths for yourself. There's nothing we can tell you that you don't already know. You know what the bariatric diet is. You know what to eat and what not to. You know how much to eat, how often, and when to stop. You need to get back to basics. Maybe start the bariatric diet over. Do a week on each step of the diet to retrain your stomach and brain on what to do and not do. There's no "pouch shrinking diet" but there's a "retrain yourself how to eat properly again" diet, and it's essentially to start back over with the basics and go from there. Reach back out to the nutritionist from your surgeon's office if you need help or new meal ideas. Go back to using calorie/carb/protein/fat counting apps. Measure out your food again. Log your meals and meal plan. Make sure you're moving your body at least a little every day. Cut out sugar and salt as much as you can. Do all the things you did when you lost the 70 pounds. Do the things you already know to do. There's not really any new tips and tricks. It's lifestyle changes you need to make and stick with. If you didn't do it before, do it now.

I guess we're buddies also having surgery on January 18th and on liquid diet now. I only lost about 3 lb I'm a little disappointed cuz it's really hard not to eat and then see the scale just the same as the day before

Hi- I had my ESG done around the same date as you and hoping to hear an update. I live in San Diego so opted to have it done in Mexico. But I’m wondering if that was the wrong choice. I feel very little restriction 6 weeks out. I can eat a significant amount of food before a sudden full feeling comes on. I have no issues meeting protein or water goals. I can comfortably drink a protein shake in a minute.. I’ve had 10lbs weight loss and no weight loss since starting solid foods.

I surpassed my goal weight by 2pounds! in March is my 9 month follow up. I was just thinking back to two weeks after my surgery when I ended up in the hospital with dehydration and not hitting my protein goals. Here a I am kicking ass and taking names.

I didn’t do a food funeral or have a final treat. It all happened pretty quickly. From GP appointment for a referral, to seeing the surgeon, then the dietician & then surgery wasn’t quite 6 weeks. And I think because from the morning I woke up & said enough & made my GP appointment, I was committed. I was ready to make the change for a different life. Maybe if I had a longer time frame until the surgery it may have been different. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Never thought I’ll never have this food again, or won’t be able to eat at a specific restaurant ever again. I do. Just make more careful choices, watch portions, frequency, etc. Had takeaway fish & chips with my brother’s family last week. Ordered grillled fish & salad & snuck a chip from my nephew’s plate. Actually first fish & chips (well chip) since before surgery. But we’re all different in how we approach things. Doesn’t mean what you choose to do is right or wrong. Enjoy.

There is nothing wrong with you... First, when we have surgery, a lot of nerves are cut that need time to heal. These are the nerves that tell us we are full, or getting full. So you are not getting accurate feedback from your stomach right now. These cut nerves take several months to heal fully. I noticed a distinct change in my fullness cues around 3 months out. Second--just because you CAN eat that amount doesn't mean you SHOULD (I'm so thankful the regulars here remind us all of this early post-op). You aren't getting accurate messages about your restriction right now, and different foods will cause different feelings of restriction or lack thereof. Try to stick to the small portions your dietician should have gone over with you. You have a lot of sutures holding your healing tummy together, you don't want to stress them. Take your time here, there is no rush. Third--different foods will cause different feelings of fullness. Purees often don't cause fullness, even meat purees. When you get into soft foods you might start to feel restriction when you eat denser proteins. But again, your stomach is still healing, so it may take time to feel your restriction, and some people never feel strong restriction, or don't feel it until they are overly full. This is where it is important to measure out your portions and eat tiny bites, slowly, watching for any signs of fullness. For us post op that may feel very different than it did pre-op. For me, for the first few months, all I would get is violent sneezing, intense hiccups, runny nose, etc... It took a while before I started feeling internal pressure with fullness. Fourth--Hunger is a b***h! Some people lose it, not everyone does. I woke up in recovery STARVING!! I was so mad. 😂I felt like I'd been given a faulty surgery. LOL But it really made me learn to work with my hunger cues and to sit with the discomfort of being hungry for a while. I was very, very hungry the first few weeks because nothing feels like it has enough substance to calm that ravenous hunger. This will ease in time as you progress your diet. For now all you can do is learn to distinguish head hunger from body hunger and learn to deal with the fact that sometimes we feel hungry and that's okay. Lastly, many people can drink water freely post op. You don't list your surgery, but this is very common with gastric bypass patients, though I have seen it with sleeve patients too. Once the internal swelling goes down, many can drink water easily. This is a blessing, since dehydration is the #1 reason bariatric patients end up in the ER post op!

It was a while ago now but I remember I still wasn’t hitting my protein goal. I wanted to do real food only too & plus I found the shakes disgusting & never touched one after liquids. For breakfast I scrambled eggs with extra milk & took three days to eat them or ate rolled oats again made totally on milk & took three days to eat a serve. Lunch & dinner were often just protein (maybe 2 ozs) & nothing else or with just a green bean or two or a small cauliflower floret with dinner. And yes I’d take a while to eat that - 45 mins +/-. After a week or two on soft food I added a high protein yoghurt or yoghurt drink as an afternoon snack to burst my protein. I wasn’t hungry or really interested in eating. I simply couldn’t eat more than I was but I was following my surgeon’s portion size recommendation of 1/4 - 1/3 cup from purée slowly increasing to a cup by 6 months If you are worried by getting your protein in try protein water. You’ll get about 16oz liquid, 15g protein & about 70 calories. So fewer calories (if you count calories) than a shake (which is really a meal) but not as many nutrients. Just watch those with added sugar or sugar substitutes or artificial sweeteners.

Traveling is hard. I used to travel a lot for work and by the end of a week of restaurant meals, I would be craving fruit and veg so much because I could never seem to get enough of that. I have found ordering simple chicken dishes in restaurants with a veg side and skipping the starch has been the best way to get something well-balanced when away from home, and that won't upset my stomach. Can you stop at a grocery store to get Greek or Icelandic yogurt and fresh berries when on the road? I'm not sure how common it is to have a small refrigerator in your hotel room in the places you're going, but a serving of unsweetened yogurt with fruit and a sprinkle of sliced almonds is a great start to the day that requires no cooking or blending. You could also try raw veg and hummus (if you are able to tolerate raw veg). Does your job require going out to dinner with clients? If not, you might see if you can travel with a small electric hot pot to heat your own meals in your hotel room. Maybe bring small containers of your favorite spices to make simple go-to meals on the road. A few times I recall staying in hotels that had true kitchens and being able to buy groceries when I arrived. That was such a relief. It's funny that when you start traveling for work, you think it will be such a treat to go out to eat all the time, and after you do it for a while, it's not fun at all. Congratulations on making it 12 weeks with no alcohol! That's a great accomplishment. I had a single sip of a friend's cocktail this weekend and I have to say, it didn't taste good to me anymore. Maybe it was just a bad cocktail, but hopefully my tastebuds have changed for that. Sadly, I was not cured of my sweet tooth from the surgery. It was such a disappointment when chocolate was just as delicious as before.

Also, my surgery went well! I had the expected gas, which was no picnic. But after a couple days it was much better. I didn't need pain meds after the first day post op, although everyone is different. I haven't had any heartburn or nausea. I felt fine except for minor pain at the incision sites and soreness on my left side. I felt pretty good after about a week and still feel great!

Hi there! I’m a 24 year old female who is 5’7 and 250 lbs give or take (photo for reference). I am extremely interested in receiving a gastric sleeve to help reduce some of my health concerns. I am currently pre-diabetic and taking medication for hypertension. My family has a history of heart disease, and I lost my dad when he was 42 to morbid obesity and congestive heart failure. At the end of the day, I want to live a long and healthy life full of happiness and potentially children in the future. I also suffer from anxiety and depression, and I take SSRI’s to tame my depression. I have a lot of questions, so bear with me and please answer what you can! 1. What was the best part of surgery for you? 2. What was the worst part of surgery for you? 3. Did you have any complications (minor or major) during or after your surgery? 4. How has adjusting to your new life been for you? 5. How long did it take you to feel comfortable eating food? 6. Is there anything you can’t eat anymore that you used to enjoy? 7. What was your recovery like? Any vomiting or dumping syndrome? 8. How long did it take you to feel semi-normal after surgery? 9. Did you experience higher energy level post surgery? 10. Did surgery affect your mental health? 11. Do you regret it? Would you recommend it? Thank you so much. This is going to help me with my journey more than you know!

How has everyone gone for goal setting? They say you have to set SMART goals Specific Measurable Achievable Relevant Time-Bound And they also say not to focus on scale victories. That's a challenge for me! Numbers make such an obvious target. So I've chosen some targets like Do 20 minutes on the stationary bike, twice a week by May 19. Drop 10 kg by June 19. Do 1 pullup by July 19. And do a DXA sscanand reward myself with $100 per bf% dropped. Turn down the CPAP by August 19. By February 19 I want to fit into size 36 jeans. Has anyone got some good targets sorted out?

How long was you pre-op liquid diet? My doctor requires a two week liquid diet prior to surgery so the liver will shrink enough they can work around. I've seen several people say from 2 days up to 2 weeks or more.

I had to do 2 weeks of low calorie intake and now I'm on 2 days of liquid. Are you nervous at all?? I'm kinda freaking out haha but not enough to back out. I'm just a really anxious person..

1-2 pounds per week is actually a healthy rate of weight loss. That's where doctors and nutritionists want to see a person at. But if you want to change things up, try changing your workouts, giving yourself variety in what you eat, weigh and track your food so you know where empty calories and carbs are coming from, Typically, the first 6 months after surgery is the time when we lose the most. After that, weight loss slows way down (you can still lose, but not at the rate that you were). We can definitely still lose weight, but it slows SIGNIFICANTLY and we end up "fighting" to lose more weight. I'm still losing, but it's slooooow going. Slow and stead wins this race.