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Welcome Cyd! I had that sensation of things going down every time I swallowed after surgery. It was so weird, I could literally feel air displace in my digestive tract to make way for the fluid! And I would get this gurgling sound like fluid going down a drain! 😂 It was so strange. Fortunately it only lasted about 2 weeks. You have to keep in mind that your stomach has just been cut and stitched together, everything is VERY swollen internally right now, so there is very little space for fluid to go down! It is like a little tunnel right now, so that's why you feel it. Over time the swelling will go down and you'll feel it less and less until it is gone. I had weird stomach twisting pains with every swallow too, so drinking was annoying. But I kept reminding myself that hydration is number 1 for the first two weeks and that if I didn't get my fluid in by drinking I'd end up in the ER needing fluids and I didn't want to end up exposed to the germs. LOL So I drank, discomfort and all!! But everyone is different... Be sure to let your surgeon know you aren't anywhere near your fluid goals. They may need to arrange for you to have some IV hydration until you feel swallowing is less uncomfortable. Also, remember, your body is full of anesthesia that affects mood and surgery itself can induce depression for a bit for some people. So try to be kind with yourself if you are feeling sad. Regrets are not unusual early out after surgery because everything is so new and feels awful. It will ease in time!! You aren't alone. ❤️

Thank you! It's cliche but we all know It is not easy but it is worth it. Since posting that testimony I have lost another 12 lbs and am now at 82lbs in 7.5 weeks. I workout every morning at 530am and night at 630pm at my boxing club in Iowa. I wanted to share the start of my journey to help tell people that IT IS OKAY TO CHOOSE YOURSELF. In fact, always choose yourself. Proud of everyone who is taking this journey. 🙏 Yesterday is on the right. December 1st is on the left.

Oh at 6 days out I was still on liquids OP! Didn't get to puree until 2 weeks after my sleeve. Honestly - get as close as you can to your protein goal and don't worry too much about that. At this stage what matters most is not getting dehydrated, so focus on your fluids! Hair loss will happen because that's what our bodies do when we cut calories. Not sure what, if anything, stops that. It's not nice but it does stop eventually.

I use either a crockpot or a tall pan (it takes no more than 15 mins) it makes several weeks worth, I freeze half! The beans is where I get 90+% of my carbs 😕 but it gives me my fiber so its a trade off. Fiber is carbs. 1 large package ground turkey 1 large can kidney beans 1 large can chili beans in chili sauce 2 cans mushrooms I occasionally mix in with each bowl after cooking banana peppers. 3/4 jar of G. Huges sauce either the Thai chili sauce (its sweeter) or their BBQ sauce. Brown the turkey drain, mix in beans, mushrooms and sauce. That's it. I Iove sauces and G. Huges has tons; yum yum sauce tastes like chic filet sauce, Polynesian sauce, several bbq flavors to change it up, chili Thai is sweet kinda like Chinese plum sauce and numerous others. All very low calories and low carb - no sugars ... They sell quickly so I always buy several when I see them!

Please tell me the nausea went after after the 4th week? I just had the MDS on 1/2/24 and I have had pain and nausea since I was in the hospital and it's happens just about every day at different times. I just got moved to the soft food diet and after having some food for 3 days, I could only stomach liquids today. I have been sleeping with a hot water bottle, along with meds, to deal with the pain. Since I'm not even into week 3, I am trying not to overreact/panic but I am definitely not meeting protein and liquid goals...

I was fine after the sleeve as far as the surgical glue goes. But after my revision from the sleeve to bypass due to a lot of complications, I developed a major allergy to the glue. So when I had my hernia surgery, they had to do a lot of internal stitches, which was A LOT more painful. But overall, even though the first week or so after your revision has been rough, I promise you it WILL get better.

@BlueParis I don't blame you for wanting some sun! We've finally had some nice weather here and it makes such a difference. We're in that little sliver of time where it's nice and not too hot. I know that in another few weeks I'm likely to be desperate for air-conditioning, but today I have the windows open and a light blanket on my lap and it's perfect. I hope you get better weather soon. I had a great opportunity on Wednesday night to join in on a Q&A session with Dr. Matthew Weiner. It was a small group, like four of us, and we just got to ask questions. I filled him in on my weight loss so far, including highest weight, how much I lost with diet changes, how much with the pre-op diet, and then the much slower weight loss since surgery. He told me that even though it seems slower, he thought I was pretty much on track. Apparently when you're calculating weight loss expectations for surgery, it's better to use your highest weight (especially if it's relatively recent, I think) because it's more realistic. So, for example, if I use 251lbs as my start, it suggests a final weight of 166. If I use 238 lbs (the weight I was on day one of the pre-op diet), it suggests 157 lbs, and if I use 223 (the day before surgery weight), it suggests 147 lbs. Dr. Weiner said 147 lbs is most likely not a realistic goal because I wasn't really, metabolically, a 223 lb person when I had surgery. I was a 251 lb person who had lost 28 lbs, and that distinction is important. Honestly, seeing this range of outcomes makes me feel better about where I'm at. I don't have a particular weight I "must" hit as a goal. I'm happy losing weight in a sustainable way and being healthier, whatever that ends up being. I just wanted to have a goal in my mind, and I was starting to worry I was not going to succeed because it's been so slow. But, even though I've barely lost anything since mid-April, I've still lost 50 lbs since last summer, and that should be something to celebrate!

Speedy recovery! I am so excited for us. You are lucky girl. I wish if my doctor would let me eat soft foods he said not until week 4 😩 I am 9 days post op & I want scrambled eggs and tuna 😢 eat for me sis, eat for me lol

Are you still in contact with your dietician? Might be worth a conversation with them to see if there’s something you’re missing & to get you back on track. Maybe track your food for a week or two as well if you don’t. Can be easy to get a bit complacent about portions, ingredients, etc. as time passes. You could take this data to the dietician too. Have you see your surgeon recently? PS: Can you provide a little more information: type of surgery, starting weigh, weight lost, current weight, how long you’ve been plateauing, etc. It’s very helpful when offering any advice or suggestions.

Ay, cheers to that! Yeah, patiently working towards that feeling of hitting that goal! I’m enjoying the NSVs. For example, being able to wrap a regular ‘ole towel all the way around me. I can definitely relate. Just last month, I hit a stall but it happens. Can you handle any type of carb based food? I ask because trying to talk to the NUT about reintroducing them in my diet.

Hi! My daughter (22 yo) and I just had the sleeve this month. Hers was 3/4 and mine was 3/11. Our healing process has been so different and while I’m moving right along, she’s had a set back with hydration and pooping. I’m curious if anyone else has had these issues and how you’ve overcome them so that I can help her. She didn’t poop for about two weeks, so under the care of our doctor, did a Fleet enema. That helped some that day but by that point, she was dehydrated. She ended up in the hospital Monday night and received fluids. Yesterday was a little better but still struggling to get in liquids (forget protein/food). This morning, she had sharp back pain again so I’ve started having her drink the four little 1 ounce cups again so that I can help her better monitor what she’s actually drinking. Also making sure she takes her Prilosec and Miralax. Added in Smooth Move tea. Heating pad on back. Encouraging her to walk but this has been hard because she feels so bad. Oh, and she’s complaining about the drinks hurting her throat going down (the stuck feeling) but the CT scan showed she’s fine. Anybody else have a setback like this? Any other suggestions? Thanks!!!!

A small NSV today, and this is just from the pre-op diet. I bought a dress last winter that I had wanted to wear on my birthday because I was going to NYC and going out to dinner. I bought it at a store where I wasn't able to try it on, and when I got it home, it was so tight that every single button gaped ridiculously. But I was optimistic, so I kept it. It's been a year. I pulled it out today and tried it on, and now only one button right at the largest part of my bust has a slight gap. Another 5-10 pounds and I will be able to wear it with no issues. And since my birthday is 4 weeks away, I think I know what I'll be wearing!

Is anyone else always hungry? All I want to do is eat. This just started a few weeks ago. I spoke to my surgeon about this. I also feel like I can eat a lot more than I should be able to. I don’t understand. I’m not overeating. It’s not slider foods but I feel like it’s taking more and more to feel full. I’m not drinking with my meals. I’m just so confused because this has been so hard. I’m almost 7 months post op.

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!

Hi Sleeve to Bypass. good to know I never got the bypass. I was so worried cause of you saying the weight loss and all. I ended up in Emergency NYE as I couldn’t intake anything. I was in so much pain and extremely dehydrated. They went in and found I had to perforations. One just above the fundoplication on my oesophagus and the other in the stomach. A week in hospital on intravenous meds and now 1 week home and I am feeling so much better.

Hey @jparadigm, I wanted to say I am sorry to hear that you are struggling. I do think however that these feelings are entirely normal, and from reading others who have posted in these forums, a lot of people do go through this. Dealing with our relationship with food is one of the hardest things to do, but as you know, is a key part of working with the tool of surgery. I think your idea of maybe seeking some help from a therapist/counsellor would be a good idea. I am pre-surgery, but I have therapy every week and my main focus at the moment is around my relationship to food. I would say however, try not to beat yourself up too much, as this can do the opposite and not motivate you at all. You're still healing, and that takes a toll on you mentally and physically. This is all new for you. Maybe start a journal and when you are feeling those cravings, write down what it is you want, and how you are feeling in that moment - try and pinpoint exactly what feeling is driving those cravings, sit with it, be interested in it. Hopefully that may start to give you that time to acknowledge how you are feeling before any incidents of deviating from your current food plan. Then think maybe about something else you can do that will give you that hit of dopamine! Either way, speaking to someone about how you are feeling and seeking to address your relationship with food will be key, and you have already taken that first step in admitting how you feel here and seeking help. Be kind to yourself x

My 3 weeks post op meal now is 5 oz in total, but most of the time I have to stop and go back to it to finish. It includes 3oz of protein, 1oz of vegetable and 1 oz of starch. All need to be mushy or moist. Bake salmon, cream of wheat and broccoli puree with onion and sour cream. It was delicious! Portion control is going to be very important now. I believe I can still eat the food I used to eat, but it will have to be post ob portion. I told myself “ I guess I can go to very nice fancy restaurants now and be full with just their appetizer.” 😂 lol My before meals

Thank you @ShoppGirl @Bypass2Freedom and @JennyBeez for you lovely, thoughtful words. I really do appreciate your comments. The clothes came - the shift dress that I thought would be OK is massive and the jumpsuit that I thought would be too tight fits perfectly so go figure 🤷‍♀️ Annoying though when you buy the same size from the same brand and there are massive discrepancies. So, dress is going back and I’ve ordered a couple of things from the sale at Roman for less than half the price of the dress I’m sending back 🙂 @ShoppGirl I have to say that my hubby is being fully supportive. There are obviously times when I want to smother him with a pillow but not over this. He is onboard with what I am trying to do so no complaints from me over that. He just wants me to feel good about myself and get some confidence back I think. I did take your advice and ordered some new, dressy shoes (backless so if my feet do shrink again, it won’t matter!) I hope that the metabolic changes from the op really do kick in and work in tandem with the other changes we make. I know the op is a positive thing that we’re doing both for our physical and emotional wellbeing. @Bypass2Freedom Definitely seek food to ‘soothe’ when in meltdown mode. It is difficult to lose weight and keep if off. I hate, with a passion, those that patronisingly say “oh, you just have to eat less and move more”…OH REALLY?? 🤬🤬🤬 Well tell my metabolism that you arsehole. Continually dieting just screws your metabolism up, I’m sure of it. I’m hoping that the op acts as an internal reset button so my body stops acting against me and works with me for a while. I do know I need to stop being so harsh on myself…old habits and all that 🙃 @JennyBeez Yes, to camouflage, yes to self-sabotage. I know what started my weight issues and disordered eating. Food was used as a punishment when I was growing up (amongst other things) I won’t go in to detail as I don’t want to trigger anyone but I have undergone counselling etc. I did lose approx 100lbs around 12 years ago and then immediately started with Rheumatoid Arthritis which threw a massive spanner in to my works! My focus went from weight and gym visits to meds, hospital visits, X-rays pain and tests. Weight went back on, Osteoarthritis decided to join the party and then recently Fibromyalgia because why not?? Did I choose any of that? NO! Looking at it all dispassionately, I can see that I was angry with my body - I’d done the major weight loss, I was at the gym 5 days a week because I loved it, I was happy with myself and then I felt that I was kicked in the teeth without rhyme or reason. I know that WLS won’t make everything go away but hopefully it will make things easier to handle and get me moving once again. I miss the gym like you wouldn’t believe and I’m just hoping that I can get going to it once again for my physical and mental health. Working on my mindset is definitely a work in progress.

Hello, my name is Kristen. New here. I'm 11 days post op. I'm on my protein weeks or phase 2 of 5 to weening back to normal foods. My nutritionist told me I should be able to feel full after 4-6 oz. I should drink a protein shake within 2 hours as my stomach couldn't handle it all at once. However, I'm finding out that I can eat/drink a lot more than that at once with no pain. I burp a little more but that's about it. I'm HIGHLY worried that this means I won't be able to control my food intake once I can have solid foods again and regain all my weight. I'm 11 days after and only down 4 pounds, which is another concern is that I'm not losing weight as fast as so many have told me I would, including the nutritionist. I do know that in some cases, inches fall down faster than pounds. I'm hoping that's my case but my pants so far fit just the same and the 4 #'s seems to be reflecting both pounds and inches. Has anyone also experienced this? Is this because I can stomach more than I was told I could? Am sorry eating too much? I have 2-3 protein shakes a day. I eat some chili or cottage cheese randomly these past 3 days. I also have protein20. A water/protein mix. I have around 40-60 oz of water a day (still working on my water intake) here and there I'll have sugar free popsicles. Have cut the popsicles mainly out as they have other bad things in the ingredients and I don't want a sweets craving. My nutritionist assures me I'm doing things right but I don't understand why I can eat a lot more than I'm supposed to and I'm losing weight very slow. It's super discouraging. I was looking forward to this surgery as a new life, new me and a better me. Not at all what I hoped for

IIRC, the constipation comes after surgery, not before - although not everyone has issues with it. Some people do have diarrhea post-surgery (especially the first week or so), but constipation is much more common, and it can become chronic. I don't remember if I had any particular BM issues during the pre-op liquid diet or not (may not have had many BM's at all given we weren't eating solid food), but I suspect your system is just whacked out by the change.

Two Month Update!!! How is everyone going?? I have been losing and gaining the same 2-4 lbs for a month now. Stalls are stupid. They swear the weight comes off the fastest in the first 3 months but that has not been my experience past the first two weeks. It is frustrating. But I feel a lot more energy and my underwear keep trying to fall down even though the rest of my clothes still fit, so I figure something must be happening. I got out my tape measure to do my month two measurements (I skipped the first month because I figured it wouldn't have changed much) and great balls of fire people, I have lost 26 inches!!! In two months!!!! I've lost 28 lbs since surgery, I had no clue it would add up to that many inches lost... I've lost 8 inches from my chest 😭 and 6 inches from my waist alone!! That means I'm losing a lot of visceral fat, which has me sooo excited. And is probably the cause of my underwear falling down. LOL Everywhere else (hips, thighs, arms) have lost 2-3 inches each! Moral of the story?? BE SURE TO TRACK MEASUREMENTS!! I have them in my Baritastic app and also on paper in case the app does something stupid with them. In other news, I've decided I can be more active now, so I'm adding in steps at about 1,000 per week. Last year with all the injuries and illnesses I averaged about 1,000 steps a day, can you imagine?? That is so low it is scary to me. So this week I'm doing 2,000-2,500 steps a day, and will increase it by about 1.000 a week until I hit 10,000 steps consistently. Steps are excellent cardio because below 5,000 you are considered sedentary/low activity. Over 5,000 is considered medium activity, and once you hit 10,000 daily you are considered highly active! So that's my goal. I can't do lifting or an elliptical or anything because I have a shoulder injury we are still assessing for surgery. But once that is taken care of and healed I'll add weights into my workout. I have a gym phobia but my partner is lovingly encouraging me to face that, as it will be the only way to get those steps in, we don't live in a walking friendly area. So to celebrate my progress so far I ordered a few funny sarcastic gym tanks and sweatshirts to cheer me up for when I have to go face the gym. Sarcasm always helps. 😂

I was given the 1/4 - 1/3 of a cup from purée advice too (slowly increasing to a cup by 6 months). If that’s yoghurt it would be about 2-3ozs. But I agree with the others - contact your team to ask. We have different needs & surgeons & dieticians have different requirements. Remember to eat slowly. Wait a couple of minutes between bites. I used to dip my teaspoon into my purées. No spoonfuls. Try not to eat until you feel full. Those signals are still not functioning accurately because your nerves were cut. (Takes about 8 weeks to be fully healed.) All the best.

Yes! In fact, my entire weight loss since surgery has been slooooow. I don't recommend kicking the scale - it hurts 😋 I even talked to my bariatric "team" who just didn't seem concerned. It only added to my anger..to go through all this to lose 4" lbs a month 3 months in and still at 6 months! Where did my honeymoon period go?? Only 80 lbs since starting the pre surgery weight loss portion... 80 lbs in 9 months, that's less than 10 each month! 😠 So yeah, I understand your frustration. I at this point wouldn't be to worried, you retain lots of fluids for several weeks following surgery, plus the standard response you'll read on here is the "your body is going through a lot and could be doing a self check reset reevaluating" at this point. I'd give it at least a month and as long as you're hitting nutritional goals and nothing feels off you'll be fine - (sigh) slow or not..its a downward trend. 😀

Good luck with your surgery!! I was on liquids for 2 weeks post op and didn't tolerate protein shakes, so I drank mostly water with sugar free flavoring packets in them (plain water made me gag), broths, strained soups, Fairlife milk, and after about 2 weeks I could finally get in a protein water. My surgeon cleared me to eat fish and soft eggs at 2 weeks (much to the annoyance of their dietician), which interestingly was easier for me to digest than the protein shakes. I couldn't tolerate jello either. In the pureed phase I tried pudding and yogurt but they sat too heavy, so I mostly ate fish and soft eggs and all the liquid things. Plus I was able to tolerate cream soups. In the soft stage I ate anything that could be cut easily with a plastic fork, mostly fish, yogurt, and cheese. By a month out I was finally able to handle the feeling of a protein shake... My tummy was just really sensitive. Be aware you may have issues with lactose early on, so I recommend a lactose free milk like Fairlife if you are in the US. I spent a lot of money on protein stuff it turned out my stomach didn't like or my tastebuds found offensive. I HIGHLY recommend sticking with sample packets of things. Those will easily get you through a few weeks. BariatricPal has a good number of them, I liked Syntrax Nectars best. Seeq has a sample pack available and I really loved their watermelon flavor of protein water. You can get samples from Unjury too, they have some protein broth flavors some people like. I also spent a lot of time pinning recipes on Pinterest for the stages, but I never used any of them because my tastebuds preferred really simple things. I couldn't tolerate anything with cooked tomatoes/tomato sauce for at least 2 months and I wasn't allowed to add raw fruits or veggies to shakes or smoothies, but every surgeon's guidelines are different.

Every program will be different, but your best bet is to wean off it as quickly as you can. Decaf is usually fine, so you may start doing half-caf tomorrow with the goal of getting to all decaf before surgery. It's less a problem before surgery because you can make yourself drink extra water to combat the dehydration coffee can cause, but it's impossible to do that after, so ideally you don't want to drink anything that makes you get dehydrated. On the other hand, some programs let you have one cup of regular coffee per day. Just don't go cold turkey if you want to avoid a killer headache. I spent two weeks weaning myself off caffeine before my pre-op diet started.