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Today was a week since I had my gastric sleeve surgery. I'm feeling perfectly fine, but I feel constantly hungry. I already included solid food to my diet bc I just can't be satisfied drinking liquids like chicken broth or protein shakes or creemt souos, they do not help at all like it was when I was on pre op diet. I should say that I kinda nervous that I already add solid food, but my body reacts fine. I never felt this "plumb" feeling that many people spoke about. I can easily swallow any food. Is anyone else having same issue with a hunger? How long does it take to you feel satisfied with small portions of food? Honestly, I started regretting about surgery, I expected it would help with food cravings but in fact I'm just limited in portions and feel hungry all the time

Decided to have surgery because my normal glucose went from low 80s up to mid 200s and a few low 300s. Tried metformin for a couple years didn't help then Ozempic which messed up my gallbladder and pancreas. Had my surgery on Dec 27 (198lb/245gl), was released from hospital on Dec 29. Went back into hospital on Jan 1. My intestine got twisted then caused blockage and my stomach was not closing of stomach acid and it was free flowing for 3 days at home. The must painful experience ever. Released from hospital on 7th. Basically started was like my first day out of hospital from surgery. Had my 2 week post-op yesterday 9th moved to soft foods and can do light strength training... Super excited. (184lb/83gl)

If you plan to get skin removal surgery and want it to be covered by insurance, make sure you document with your doctor ALL problems with skin rashes, sores etc. It isn't usually covered since it is considered cosmetic but if you can show a history of problems, there's a better chance of it being covered. I have lost over 100 pounds and have some loose skin, but I am getting cryo therapy twice a week. It helps to produce collagen and tightens my skin as the weight comes off. If I had waited till I hit goal weight, I don't think it would have been as effective. I also sit in an infrared sauna which has its own list of benefits. Rebounding helps too. There are some alternatives to surgery. Being proactive is important but it also depends on the amount of weight you have to lose and DNA. When I had rashes before losing the weight, I used a baby powder/cornstarch blend to keep the area dry. Moisture can make things painful and possibly infected. Good luck!!

Yeah, I really didn’t mean food lol. I was meaning the drinks and broth. But that is good to know so I will get for the 3 weeks preop then I can do one week at a time post. I was thinking of getting a variety of flavor protein drinks since like you said some tastes change. I have been hearing that from everyone. Preop I will do protein shakes, chicken broth, SF drink mixed and popsicles. So post op I will do chicken broth, popsicles, a small pack of unflavored protein powder to add to water, and my sugar free drink mixes(like crystal light). wow that seems so much easier. Thanks for helping me think through a kind of shopping list.

I'm curious what you had instead of the protein drinks, or if you just weren't getting much protein those first weeks. Was there something that worked better for you than whey?

My first birthday post-op was about eight weeks after surgery. All I remember was I had about two tablespoons of ice cream as a treat, and felt guilty about it for days afterward! (it didn't make me sick, but I was bound and determined from the get-go that I was going to be 100% compliant with my plan until I got all that weight off, so I felt terrible about eating that ice cream!). The next holiday was Thanksgiving. That was about five months after surgery. I took some Light & Fit pumpkin yogurt to eat while the others were eating pumpkin pie, so no guilt! (I will admit I was a bit of a drill sergeant with myself the first year after my surgery, but again, I was 100% determined to get that weight off! I wish I still had that resolve!!)

Try to work through the liquid diet and stay on it as recommended. Getting in 3 Protein shakes a day is pretty good, you're getting your protein in. I'm 3 weeks out from my surgery. Don't rush the soft foods, from my own experience you won't be able to eat much at all. It seemed like I could get in all the liquid I needed. Once I started soft food, I can barely get 1 measuring cup of food in. So you will need to drink one or two protein shakes a day to get in the protein you need with the food you can eat once you get to soft food phase. You won't be able to eat enough protein to get he recommended amount set by the dietician or whoever is directing you the recommended amount protein you need. I too lost weight before my surgery 70 lbs. Since my surgery I've only lost 7 lbs. Which is expected because of healing and getting the body back used to taking in soft foods again. You're doing really good, keep it up. Remember, when you do get to eat soft foods, take it slow. I've vomited only a couple times from getting to full. It's definitely different when you can only take a few bites and feel full. Wish you the best!

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

I was in the large family that celebrated/soothed everything with food. Sad? Have a cookie you’ll feel better! Good grades? Have some ice cream! Birthday? Don’t forget the cake! Going to a reunion? Make sure you bring the potato salad and pink stuff! Oh someone died? Don’t forget the luncheon and the funeral potatoes and pie. But dinners most week nights were my responsibility after age 10 so we ate a lot of latchkey ability dinners- spaghetti, white people tacos (tortillas, ground beef, shredded cheese, iceberg lettuce and sour cream), and Mac and cheese with peas and tuna mixed in, and potato surprise (mashed potatoes, ground beef, peas, and shredded cheese). Now? I’m still the one cooking even for holidays and such. I don’t regret it but I do make better choices now that I know better…. Most of the time.

I'm only a week post-op so I don't have much experience with this particular conversation -- but I've struggled with weight all my life and have had a few periods of great weight loss. And those conversations were never great, either. Honestly, I feel like the majority of people just want you to reveal "the magic solution" to them -- whether because they want an easy solution themselves, or just want to write you off as having "cheated" for your success. They don't want to hear about the tough, ongoing, lifetime of work you're putting in. Some people -- those who deeply care and connect with you -- that won't be the case. But those people that care, won't get too pushy if you set a boundary. And that's really what I wanted to talk about: setting healthy boundaries. It's nobody's business how you achieved this. Decide how much you're comfortable sharing, and allow yourself to set a clear boundary. There's absolutely nothing wrong with giving a bland "oh, you know, lifestyle changes" as an answer, and if they push further let them know "Honestly, I'm not comfortable talking about it. I'm healthy and happy though." Anyone who tries to push past your boundaries? Deserves the stink eye, and maybe a LOUDER repetition of exactly what you told them. At most. (But most people feel too awkward to push, I think. If they don’t, well, they don't really deserve you to be polite back. Get sassy. Ask them what part of your statement needs clarification. Ask them something extremely probing and personal back. Tell them to look up the definition of 'boundaries,' 'respect,' or 'pushiness.' Ask if they're a Taurus. Hiss at them 'Alien Abduction' and walk away. Most importantly, take care of your own emotional and mental health first -- because nobody else will prioritize it for you. 🤍

I strongly advise you to stick with the plan your surgeon gave you regarding food. Your stomach and small intestines have been cut and sewn back together, there are a lot of sutures in there that heal best without particles of food irritating them. And believe me, you do NOT want to compromise the healing of those sutures. I know it is hard to do nothing but drink. I was on fluids only for the first two weeks, no pudding, no eggs, nothing but fluids and my stomach couldn't handle protein shakes so I lived on broth, flavored water, and eventually I could do lactose free milk. But I got through it and so will you!! As hard as the changes are to our bodies, it is the head game that will do you in. You are strong. You can do hard things!! You only get the chance to heal once, so heal as well as you possibly can! I ate sugar free popsicles and crunched on ice when I had the urge to chew. This time without food is a very short time in the scheme of things even though it feels like an eternity. Find things to do to distract you from your hunger. Head hunger is miserable but you have to see this through because if you don't get control of the head hunger now it will drive you to eat around your surgery once you add food back in. The surgeon had me taking pills by mouth the day after surgery. It was a struggle but I understood it wasn't harming my stomach to take them, just go slow, one at a time, and give space between each one. But only take what they told you to take. You don't want to add anything extra that could irritate those healing sutures. ❤️

No idea why my phone always posts things twice lmboooo it may be a texture thing I know I definitely struggle with those kinds of things. You got this 💪🏼, you’ve done a week and are almost done Day 1 of week 2 just a few more. I believe in you ⭐️ I will definitely keep everyone posted.

I count "net" carbs ( Carbs minus fiber ) I love the low carb lifestyle ! Before surgery,I lost 40# doing low carb and my body slammed on the brakes and said "nope " at 210 and wouldn't let me lose anymore. That's why I went for surgery ! Now that I'm 5 months out - my body is saying NOPE again ....*sigh*... I've been stalled for 3 & a half months !! I honestly don't think there's any real way to break it ,we just have to wait it out. There's so many videos about people that say they KNOW how to break a stall. I think it's all BS - especially the ones that try and sell you a certain vitamin or remedy. We'll get there . PS ......... I'm giving you a standing ovation for losing 100 lbs !!!!!! You're an inspiration

Hey hey! I could use your help. I’m supposed to be walking 30 mins a day, but here’s the rub… I need to have both knees replaced. I had gel injected into both knees a couple weeks before my surgery and it helped temporarily, but now my really bad knee is hurting again. I don’t want to strain anything I shouldn’t, but I know that exercise is important. Y'all have any ideas about alternative ways of getting my “steps” in?

*raises hand* warning: this may get long.... now, for me, replace 'whiskey' and 'cognac' with Vodka Sodas or Red Wine or Espresso Martinis. i looked it up and according to North American AND European "standards" i would be considered an alcoholic in North America, as well as partaking in "harmful and hazardous" drinking if I were in Europe, based on my average daily alcohol consumption. I started drinking regularly during Covid, and basically never stopped. I too, consider myself a high-functioning alcoholic...i don't get black out drunk, i dont drink and drive, operate heavy machinery while under the influence, make bad decisions that would harm or embarass myself or others, etc. etc. since surgery i get affected much quicker, and on a lot less than pre-surgery. i'm pretty tipsy just after a single drink...legitimately drunk after 2. BUT.....i sober up really quickly too. the alcoholic buzz lasts me maybe 30-45 mins tops. then it's like i didn't drink a drop....which probably contributes to why i drink the amounts that i do. i am a boredom and social drinker (i.e,. i don't need it to sleep...i am a lifelong insomniac and need very little sleep all my life anyway *shrug*). so if i am busy doing stuff during waking hours that doesn't involve food, friends and sitting around, then i wont drink. i also have a chip on my shoulder, so often when somebody (i.e., Mr. or the Kid) challenges me that i couldn't stop drinking, I totally would just to prove him wrong. I've probably gone cold turkey 9-10 times for about a month each time in the past 5 years just to be right. Mind you, i never actually STOPPED for good, so maybe HE's right, ha. As for my current state of health, I am probably in the best shape in my adult life. I have maintained below goal weight since reaching it at 7 months post op. I am 5'2", 52 yr old woman, and this morning weighed 115.8 lbs. My body fat percentage hovers between 18-20% All my labs since surgery have been satisfactory, the last one being last fall. I don't take any medication any more (i used to take blood pressure and cholesterol and adhd meds). but I do have to take pesky PPIs i continue to need to keep my reflux under control. I have endless amounts of energy, bad moods and bitchiness are a rarity now, i am patient, calm, less stressed since losing the weight. I exercise (yoga, pilates, running, rock climbing) 20+ hours a week. I also dabble with swimming, hiking, volleyball, and dance for funsies. I consume over 2300+ calories a day so i'm definitely not starving myself (mind you, 400-500 cals are from alcohol...) soooo....sometimes i feel like i SHOULD worry about the amount of alcohol i drink, but really, if i'm honest, i don't, really. but if/when i do i feel like its becoming a problem, I can re-evaluate then (though this probably sounds like the alcoholic's battle-cry, no? ha!) p.s. may be worth noting here (not sure why) that i am also an ex-smoker at the moment. i smoked for 20 years, then quit cold-turkey for 10 yrs, then took it up again for 4 years, then quit cold turkey again last summer (am currently 14 months smoke free this time around, yay, me!). p.p.s. DISCLAIMER: i am in no way advocating nor opposing my M.O. to drinking to anyone who reads this. I am merely describing my own experiences. take or leave from it what you will ❤️ ...and scene. lol.

I lost 33 pounds so far. Admittedly the last week or so I have been having more carbs than I should. I’m trying to reset and focus on protein.

I'm a little confused. According to your sidebar you've lost almost 100 lbs in 3 months?? How much were you expecting to lose? I'm guessing your surgery weight was different than your starting weight. To put this in a bit of perspective, I had surgery almost a month before you (Nov. 1st), my highest weight was 320 but my surgery weight was 307 and I'm currently at 251!! And my weight loss is considered quite a good pace and certainly within the realms of an excellent result thus far. That change in clothing size is way more important than a number on the scale! Feelings with these surgeries are tough because for some reason our brains expect years of weight to take a few weeks to come off. LOL Everyone thinks they need to lose faster, even the fastest losers among us. Everyone thinks they should be further along, even if they are quite far. We have really high expectations of ourselves and our bodies, probably in part from years of everyone else having unrealistic expectations of us and our bodies. This surgery is an opportunity to give ourselves a bit more kindness and compassion, and maybe recalibrate our expectations. Healing takes time. Even with surgery, weight loss takes time. And the entire process is SOOOO frustrating! I get it, I experience frustration on a regular basis. Today I was lamenting the fact that suddenly my boobs have flattened like pancakes. 😢😂

Hello guys! Just thought I would introduce myself! I'm Sonya and I am now officially on this beautiful weight loss journey. About a week ago i received my surgery date for lap band surgery after months of dietician and medical appointments; I am schedule for surgery Oct 18 and currently which is day one for me I'm on my pre-op liquid diet. I'm a bit nervous because this will be my first ever surgery. I would love some words of advice or encouragement because i am really freaking out a bit; especially when the my doctor explained a few things for the day of surgery when the procedure is all done. Thank you guys! I'm happy to be here!

I love this! I know my partner loves me regardless of the weight I am as long as I am healthy. (one of the convos we had that if anyone on of us became unhealthily overweight we would have a conversation about that- I wasn't there) He does have to navigate how this is going to go and how he will feel towards me. The parts that he loved are getting small, so I have these self destructive thoughts. Its a me thing and I know that, because my guy always compliments me and tells me how much he loves my saggy boobies LOL or my handful of a butt now. he's encouragement. I don't want to put so much emphasis on looks but man its tough when that's the only thing that is changing! Then I had an HR rep come up to me and tell me I am withering away and I look great. Like omg I wanna cry. I feel like I was this huge person walking around and more ppl want to talk to me. My partner is more handsy. Idk I didn't expect this. Its a lot ( I am rambling I know). I went through a lot of therapy when I left my abusive ex and I consider myself a very strong woman but my god the last week or so I have been feeling a type of way!

well, i *thought* i was in menopause before I had my surgery (i hadn't had period in about 1-2 years). a few weeks after surgery i got my period and it came like clockwork every month for the next 2-3 years (i guess it wasn't menopause and i was just fat? or maybe the estrogen release from my diminishing fat stores that re-activated my period? i dunno.) Anyway, a couple years ago when i was at maybe 3 years post op, my period disappeared again, and i haven't had it since (except for a singe errant period when i was on vacaiton of all places last year). im 5+ years post op now and i guess to answer your question i was both perimenopausal and menopausal AND post-menopausal before, during and after the entire experience. i don't know if being in that state affected my weight loss in any way as i have nothing to compare to, but i can tell you i reached goal by 7 months post op (lost 108 lbs by goal date) and was down a total of 126 lbs by 1 year post op (i was 235 lbs 2 wks before surgery). like i said above, i'm 5+ years post op now and am still down 120-ish lbs today.

You’ve just had a major surgery that has about a 8 week recovery so feeling low in energy, weak, lethargic, etc. is pretty normal. Remember you are consuming calories (just drinking them not eating them) & your body is burning your stored energy which you want it do. Try adding an electrolyte drink as one of your fluids for an energy boost. They can be sweet so I diluted mine - doubled the water added. I used hydralite & would sip it with my other liquids throughout the day. Listen to your body, rest if you need to & pace yourself through the day.

Yeah, I tried not to go overboard the week before. But the first 3 days were definitely the hardest for sure! And that's what everyone said when I started. Now I'm just 3 days away from surgery! So close! But then still weeks of recovery before real food again. But just reminding myself of the goal.

Preaching to the choir Momo! I'm 8 days postop and I miss real food so badly! My protein goal is 90g and honestly I have not met it yet -- I've gotten as high as 81 so far. In order to get to 90 almost every liquid I consume has to be high protein and that is rough. Plus my doc has me on Stage 1 all liquids for THREE WEEKS! AGH! I might die! But I'm like you, it's just temporary. It will be worth it. GREAT TIP re: trying on clothes that don't fit! I love that suggestion! Gonna go do it now!

Thanks Cat. they were so yummy. I had them again a few days later but they didn’t sit right. I am almost at the 3 month mark. I will do measurements in a few days. I have to eat even smaller amounts then a normal sleeve patient and chew 1000 times. Almost like mush in my mouth before it goes down. this is odd: The dietician has told me to chew the steak and then spit it out. This way I can get the taste and not the blockage. That has worked for at home meals. I am enjoying creating and cooking again. I have been busy with work(own business, work from home) but I have been staying 200km away from home 2 days a week as I have stuff on. Mostly immediate family stuff. That has interfered with my eating and drinking routine. I don’t feel happy/excited to eat out in public. Being judged for what and how much I eat. A friend complained I was wasting food. im looking forward to everyone’s achievements on our 3 month mark.

Our tastes can change radically after surgery. Mine changed at about 2 weeks post op. I was SO mad!! LOL I didn't want to eat anything I had been eating. All my protein supplements tasted awful. Soup I loved 3 days before was vile. I felt like a pregnant woman!! 😂 I think part of it is being in ketosis, it does funny things to the body. And part of it is the hormonal surge we get after surgery as we start losing weight. I've talked to some who say it eases up and others who had it throughout the rapid weight loss stage, but their normal tastebuds came back once they stopped losing weight. I'm 3 months post op and right now I hate avocados (I used to eat them every day), and I can't taste sweet spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. I can't tell you how much this annoys me. LOL On the upside I like fish a lot more than I did before and that is great because fish is the gentlest meat protein you can eat and it packs a punch nutritionally!!