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I am now 1 month post op. Down 37 lbs. (20 since day of surgery) I feel amazing!! Once I stopped taking my blood thinners, I noticed a lot more energy. My joints don't bother me anymore... my hands, wrists, ankles and feet are no longer swollen. My clothes are becoming loose, and I can't stress enough how happy I am that I finally went for it and had the VSG surgery. I've noticed everyone's doctor has a different approach on the steps following surgery. I was instructed to stay on a liquid diet 3 weeks post op. Now I'm finally allowed to eat, but ONLY 4 things - eggs, string cheese, cottage cheese & avocados for the next 3 weeks. After that he said I can start to introduce meat and other foods into my diet but to ALWAYS prioritize protein over anything. I can barely finish 1 egg without feeling uncomfortable... so it'll be interesting in the coming months. The holidays were hard since my family is full of foodies, so the spreads they created for family gatherings were mouthwatering. I just kept reminding myself that I'm finally headed in the direction, and I don't want to fall back into old habits, so I ask myself, "Do I want this, or do I need this? Will it nourish me or just satisfy a craving?" Changing a relationship with food isn't easy, especially when it's something we HAVE to consume to stay alive and well. To anyone struggling, know you got this!! It might be hard today, but it won't always be that way. You might have a day where you feel you failed yourself. Don't dwell on it just work to be better moving forward. It's a learning curve, you're only human.

Liquid clears your stomach pouch in a matter of seconds after gastric bypass. I know this because on the morning after my surgery, I had to do a swallow test and l literally watched on the screen as my new little pouch filled with a swallow of liquid and immediately started dripping it into my small intestine. By the time I took the third swallow, the first one was no longer in my stomach pouch at all and the second one was mostly emptied, too. That's how it is supposed to be. "Stretching out" your stomach is 99% myth for two reasons. First, at the early stage, your stomach is swollen and stiff. You couldn't stretch it out if you tried, let alone with a mere few ounces of liquid. Second, as time goes on, it's supposed to stretch a bit to allow you to eat a healthy quantity of food because you can't live on 400 calories forever. If you stick to your recommended portion sizes, eating schedule, and fill up on healthy foods, it won't be an issue. I highly recommend watching Dr. Pilcher's video about stomach stretching if you're concerned. Bottom line, most people do not actually stretch their stomachs, they learn to eat around the size restriction by grazing all day and eating high calorie junk, and then blame their "stretched" stomach for their bad behavior when they gain back all the weight. At 8 weeks post-op, swelling has decreased and capacity is closer to what it's meant to be. Drinking 12 oz in 35 minutes is totally normal and healthy at this point. It means you are healing. Solid foods take longer to empty, so eating 3-4 oz per meal will feel very different than drinking 12 oz of water. At 3 months post-op, I can drink 32 oz of hot decaf tea in 30 minutes. I can eat 5-6oz yogurt/bean soup or only 2-3 oz of chicken breast in the same amount of time. It's a function of how much your stomach has to do before it can move along. My advice is to follow the instructions you were given with regard to your number of meals per day, quantity of food at each sitting, macros, etc. Stop when you feel fullness cues, but don't eat more just because you don't feel fullness cues, if that makes sense. You will never need more than 4 oz of chicken at a sitting, but you will likely be able to eat more than that in a year or two. Resist the temptation, and add non-starchy veg instead if you feel hungry. Build good habits now that you can stick to forever.

I'm just a week post op, and my suture pain just gets better each day that I feel like I can start moving a lot more than just walk. But my Dr said to refrain from workouts and sex for 3 -4 weeks. I don't want to end up hurting myself if I just go ahead and do what I feel I can. So I'm just curious when everyone else started or if they started before the 3-4 week mark...??? Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

Happy birthday! I had my surgery less than a week before my birthday, so I was still on liquids for my birthday. I didn't (and really couldn't) do anything food-wise for my birthday that year. What else do you normally do to celebrate your birthday? Do your friends and family give you gifts? You can still open gifts on your birthday. Maybe instead of going out for a birthday meal, you can find another (non-food-related) activity to do with your friends and family, like a movie or show, escape room, spa day, mini golf, etc. Something to consider with respect to a birthday treat is that you might have a bad reaction to it, so think about whether you want to risk getting sick on your birthday. Maybe instead you can find a bakery that makes sugar-free cupcakes, or a health food store that sells protein brownies, or make yourself a sugar-free protein mug cake.

I had my 2 week follow up with my surgeon yesterday! Incisions are healing well, tummy is doing better, he cleared me to move to purees and said if I wanted to I could even try fish or eggs prepared soft since they both are relatively soft on the digestive system, though some don't do well on eggs. I had yogurt yesterday and it went down well, so last night I had some tuna fish and it was fine too!! No more awful twisting pains, just a dull ache if I eat or drink too fast. I'm so thankful I took that two weeks on fluids, I wouldn't have done as well if it was only one week. I needed the extra week to heal and let some swelling go down. I officially have lost 15 lbs since surgery. That's 29 lbs since my highest weight! The last time I lost 30 lbs was 20 years ago. I'm so amazed. I'm not losing super fast but that's okay, I'm good with slow as long as it is steady... I had enough energy to go through the grocery store yesterday!! I haven't been able to do that in a few years. It was just 45 minutes of walking and standing but it is such an improvement. I'm really grateful for all this. So glad I had the surgery...

I was consuming about the same amount as you at that stage and continue doing the same 17 months out. Stalls will happen. Drink your fluids and exercising helps. Our bodies can be quite tricky in how they manage our food intake. If you are continuing to eat the same foods then try changing what you are eating. Change the proteins for other protein. Change up your snacks. It really is a huge mental game from here on out. Reward yourself for the changes that you have already made. Start a new hobby to keep your brain and hands busy.

Oh no! I hope they get to the bottom of this and you're on your way back to surgery soon. I know how frustrating it is to get your hopes up and have it not happen. My surgery was supposed to be the 27th but it was abruptly cancelled last week because the surgery program at the hospital is closing down. I just got a new patient appointment at an affiliated program at a different hospital but not until Jan 2, so I know it will be at least mid-Jan or later for me now (probably later, realistically). Don't lose hope! It's hard not to be frustrated and angry, but try to stay positive!

I’m with you. I lost 23 pounds by the time of my 2 week post-op follow up. The following week I lost an additional 7 pounds. Now I’ve been stuck at the same exact weight for the past ten days. Very frustrating indeed. I’ve also begun to question if I’m doing something wrong.

Had my VSG surgery on Dec. 4th. The days following I’ve struggled to stay awake. Which has made getting enough fluids down. I’ve noticed room temperature or warm liquids feel easiest on my stomach at the moment. I’m not hungry or thirsty though, but I keep drinking because I know I have to. I just hope the weakness wears off and I can stay awake and be a little productive in the next week since I’m scheduled to go back to work on the 20th.

So this could be your body’s set point. The weight your body is happiest at & will continue to gravitate to this weight despite your efforts to lose more. Remember if you reduce your calories & increase your activity to lose more weight, you will have to continue to eat fewer calories & be more active than you are now to maintain the lower weight. And this isn’t sustainable as you’re already experiencing & your body will fight you the whole time. This becomes a head issue. You’ve lost about 100lbs. That’s an achievement. Plus you’ve built muscle which weighs more than fat too. Look back on how you were before there surgery - general health & status of your cop morbidities, mobility, ability to do the things you wanted to, self confidence, etc. What have you gained or regained with this weight loss. Don’t fear your appointment. Take in your tracked food intake (there could be something you’re missing) & your activity. Ask what else you can do. Ask if this is it for you? Ask what else you can do. Maybe raise whether the GLP-1medications would be of benefit. Do you see a dietician? Because of your intense weight training, you may need to be consuming more & by reducing your calories you have put your body into starvation mode. Even with all this, don’t give up yet. Many of us continued to lose well into our second year albeit very slowly like grams not kilograms a week or month (ounces not pounds). All the best.

So frustrating. It's less than 4 months since your revision though - this could be a long stall as opposed to the end of your losses. I hope you start losing again soon. You've done so well, you're an inspiration.

December 27th is going to be a very busy day! Regarding meal prep, I'm making room in my freezer now to freeze some favorites ahead of time. I'm also going to be teaching my daughters, 12 and 15, how to make some of the simpler meals they like. This way, after surgery, they can cook for themselves with minimal supervision. Which they should learn anyway! Meals like spaghetti, tacos, chili, shepherd's pie, and quiche, that barely even need a recipe. For myself, I have a cookbook I'm really looking forward to that covers bariatric meal prep. It has 6 weeks of meal plans and directions for making ahead and portioning. I'm using that and Dr. Weiner's bariatric cookbook for most of my new recipe ideas. Here's the meal prep one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1645674967 I'm choosing 1 or 2 new things to try making each week this month, hoping to have a few to add to the rotation that all of us will like, and some small containers to freeze for later.

OK this is a biggie. You might want to treat alcoholic drinks like a big glass of sugar. Empty calories and not helping you to your goal - hindering actually. However I am Irish and therefore have to acknowledge the fun/relaxation/social stuff associated with imbibing those totally worthless calories. Lots of people who have previously had a completely healthy relationship with alcohol (even if on the slightly heavier side of healthy alcohol intake) can develop a very UNhealthy relationship with alcohol after bariatric surgery. You get a bigger hit, you get it quicker, and you get all the neurotransmitter rush associated with that that makes you want to repeat the experience. For lots of us it has been a big trigger for regaining weight. Just do a search for alcohol and read some of the posts here describing it as THE factor on people's regain. Lots of others have been able to maintain a healthy relationship with alcohol too. If you do your research AND are aware of all that AND vigilant AND able to take immediate action if your relationship with alcohol changes then it might be OK to drink it earlier than your programme allows. Otherwise it might be best to just concentrate on the lovely honeymoon period when you lose weight with not too much effort. I was sleeved 7 weeks before Christmas 2021 and negotiated a glass or two of bubbles over that first holiday season with my dietician. I have been able to continue to drink alcohol at my previous rate and not regain. UNTIL I stopped losing - that was about 2 years post op, 5 months ago. Since then I have been regaining (albeit very slowly). I do wonder whether if I had just ditched alcohol (my only sugar now) early on whether I wouldn't have put on 5lbs in 5 months. I know that third year regain is a thing, but I will never be able to say what effect alcohol may have had. It does seem to have stabilised for me and I know my regain is tiny (not angsting, LOL) just wanted to share my thoughts and my experience. Sorry that turned into a bit of an essay. I hope it helps. Long story short, my programme said no alcohol for 6 months, my (Irish) dietician said go right ahead.

Hi Fifi, from another Fifi I now into my 7th month since sleeve surgery but I had a horrible experience afterwards and spent most of July to Nov in hospital with complications so I have no-one to compare myself against and finding it stressful. I think we just have to remind ourselves that we lose what we need to and don't put pressure on yourself, you have already done great. If going by the BMI charts (which I don't believe in 100% as outdated and everyone is different) you are already almost out of the overweight category so well done. 70.7kg is already slim. I am losing about 1kg a week. Started out at just over 120kg and now down to just under 87kg so still have some way to go to my target but I am already very happy with what I have lost but do hope to get down to within the 'normal' BMI category.

Hi, I had gastric bypass surgery August 16, 2023. My heaviest weight ever was 260 lbs, but I started the 6 month weight loss program weighing 249lbs (5'3"). I had to do a one week of liquid diet which was just protein shakes, water, decaf tea. I can honestly say it was the hardest 3 days of my life on the liquid diet because the physical pains of hunger was a constant reminder I needed food. Day 4-7 was more so a mental hunger and I had a boost of energy. What helped me was just constantly drinking LOTS of water though out the day and keeping myself busy. Heaviest weight: 260lbs Starting weight: 249lbs Surgery weight (day of surgery) 235lbs Current weight: 181lbs Peppermint tea helped eased the hunger pains when I was experiencing stomach cramps. Also, no one told me my tongue will turn white, like literally a coating of white film on my tongue during the liquid diet phase. Something to do with ketosis (detox of sugar from body) Best of luck!

My hunger or interest in eating didn’t really return for around a year. I found eating to a routine very helpful. In fact I still eat this way. I started doing it to establish good/better eating behaviours (been a meal skipper for most of my life in an attempt to control my weight) & also to ensure I was getting in calories & necessary nutrients. Not a food tracker either. Wasn't required to in my program. I do random checks for my own curiosity, to ensure I wasn’t slipping or getting complacent & to check new foods/ingredients or recipes. I more often checked portions. I know my calorie intake was low compared to others (barely 900 at 6 months & my goal) but at least I was eating regularly & nutritiously. I still have times I don’t feel hungry. Usually just a day or two but went through a period of a couple of months recently which saw me reduce my intake a little. Went from 4 meals & 3 or 4 snacks to 3 meals & same snacks. On the days or times I didn’t feel as hungry I chose something lighter to eat like yoghurt, soup or just ate some protein & didn’t care if I didn’t eat all my portion. Oh & I still take 30-45 minutes to eat most meals - used to take up to an hour. I’m also a meal repeater. I have favourites & there’s nothing wrong with that. Know how much I can have as a portion & the protein content. I used to eat scrambled eggs or rolled oats for breakfast. Now I just eat rolled oats. Similarity at lunch - 3 or 4 options I rotated through currently two options. Dinner is repeats too mostly because of left overs. I still cook much as I did before 😁. Eat that meal for 2 or 3 days & freeze the remaining portions for those nights I don’t feel like cooking (love my freezer & microwave - little reheat & sometimes cook vegetables - 5 mins total). I usually cook pretty simply too: protein & vegetables so I can easily check what I’m eating & getting nutritionally. I never had those signals many speak of regarding fullness. No sneezing, no runny nose, etc. Just my restriction if I went too far or if something sat more heavily than expected. It’s why I started asking myself if I really needed the next bite or just wanted it. It’s not unusual for me to put food on my fork & then put it down again to maybe eat a couple of minutes later. I remember the first time I felt hungry after surgery. I was about 7 months, had a busy day & then went to a function. Hadn’t eaten much & there’s was nothing suitable at the event. Was home & in bed when I realised I was vey restless. Something was wrong but didn’t know what. It took some time to realise I was hungry. I realised this was my real hunger signal. Didn’t want a specific food, flavour or texture. There was a logical reason I was hungry - I hadn’t really eaten for most of the day. Took another 3 months before I felt it again. One of the things I’ve learnt along the way is you have to do what works best for you. Because it works for someone else doesn’t mean it’s right for you. Whether that is tracking or not tracking your food, how many meals or snacks you have, how much activity you do, what foods you choose to eat, eat occasionally, or generally avoid, etc. Use other people’s experiences & routines as suggestions of things you could try if you’re stuck but if they’re wrong for you, try something else. So after a long way of getting to it, my two suggestions based on my experiences if you want to try them, are: Track your calorie intake & nutrients for a few days just to ensure you’re on track & not missing anything. Then only check new foods you introduce &/or do random checks. Try eating to a routine. Doesn’t have to be a full meal but at least something that is nutritionally dense & protein focused. Oh, yes stalls happen. Mine were short. A few days only. I tracked my weight daily which is how I saw when they occured.

@Char V - Sorry to hear you've had to deal with all of that. Hoping they can resolve it for you quickly! @sisyfitri - Hope you're doing well! I know what you mean about the appetite. My head keeps telling me to eat what I used to, but my stomach definitely throttles my intake if I overdo it. I'm getting better estimating what I can eat in situations where I can't measure, but still haven't perfected it yet. @ZeeGee - Glad to hear things are moving along well for you! My surgery date was Nov 20, and I was hoping to start hitting the gym with the rest of the New Years Resolution folks next week, but caught covid on Christmas Eve and still super weak. Hoping to get my strength back soon and get back at it later in January.

I went to see a plastic surgeon about getting an arm lift and I am feeling so conflicted. On the one hand, I am so unhappy about my upper arms and armpits and I never wear anything without sleeves (anything I wear is at least t-shirt length). I feel very self conscious about that area.. It just makes me sad. I’ve worked so hard to get where I am right now and I still can’t wear what I want, and fashion is one of my main hobbies and ways of expressing myself. On the other hand, I am scared. It’s a huge operation, you end up with two big wounds that you need help with for weeks and I am struggling with the idea that it’s elective surgery. My husband also is not really on board because he thinks I’m perfect the way I am, and he’s scared it’ll snowball into me wanting to get procedure after procedure because according to him I’m never happy with how I look. Next to that he hates seeing me in pain and he’s also not very keen on the idea because it’ll add to his load temporarily but he realises that’s a selfish reason.. I feel so conflicted. I have done a lot of soul searching and have already made peace with my nonexistent breasts, my jiggly thighs and butt, and my tummy doesn’t bother me anymore either. It’s because I can hide those things in whatever outfit I wear, except when I go for shorts.. But I never liked to wear those a lot anyway. I am just so sick of still covering up and hiding, but I wish it wasn’t such a radical procedure.. I feel very selfish for inconveniencing others so much for something that is elective. Would love to hear your thoughts and opinions, any advice you have or if you’ve been in the same situation!

Yup! You've got to walk it out. Walk as much and as often as you can. Gas-x sometimes helps a little for some but walking and time are the only cure. 💚I'm two weeks post op.

I dont know what weight you are so its really guess work. I did a 3 week pre op diet and with 2 months post surgery weight loss, I dropped 40 pounds. If you do the same and bought your outfit, maybe your clothes would not fit. I really had a struggle with food after surgery. At 2 months I was just about getting the hang of it. I would not have eaten regular food. Soup, milk, yogurts and cheese were my staples at that time. If I had to go to a function I would pack myself a emergency pack, just in case. I had massive drops in energy and needed lots of little meals to pick me up. I still carry protein bars and a drink.

Weight fluctuations are definitely normal. Salt intake, water retention, hormones, even how much food is still in your digestive system, all influence your weight at any given moment. I'm pre-op, but I traveled last week and just the change to salty foods and restaurant meals was enough to make me gain nearly 10lbs. I thought it was from the unhealthy food and was so distraught, but it was almost all fluid retention because less than a week at home eating my normal healthy diet and it was all gone. Just keep track of what you're eating, but don't starve yourself! That will just cause more problems.

So as you all know, I had my revision from sleeve to bypass on June 28th because of severe gerd, esophagitis, gastritis, and a ton of pre-cancerous polyps all through my stomach. I was put on 80mg of Nexium daily and still had a lot of pain and break through gerd issues. After the revision, the PPI was lowered to 40mg daily for 2 weeks and then on weeks 3 and 4, go to 40mg every other day and then completely stop at the beginning of week 5. Well here I am, doing the evry other day, and I had horrible gerd today!!! My throat was burning, my esophagus felt like I had acid in it, and I was MISERABLE. I had to take a Nexium (today was a day not to take it) and follow it up an hour later with a Pepcid before it went away. WTH????? I never ever had heartburn or gerd before the sleeve. Got the revision because it was supposed to fix it, and here I am, still dealing with it!!!!!!! I'm so over this. I'm not eating anything bad, following my diet to the letter, and I can't catch a break.

As far as getting ready: I've got a binder my doctor gave to me. It has basically all the information that I should need going forward. I do look at it periodically to refresh my memory about what is expected of me. For the dietary changes and stages, I write everything I need to stop/start on a calendar. For example: I need to stop drinking coffee and need to taper off to avoid headaches. I am also weaning myself off carbonated water and need reminders. I'm struggling with a few things such as taking small bites, so I like to put reminders in my calendar so i have to see them every day. I'm also changing my vitamins over to different brands and also needed reminders for that as well. (I'm forgetful!) I've made a list of the things I need to buy such as different kinds of protein powder, unjury protein, chewable vitamins, calcium chews, small utensils, small plates, a drink blender, etc. I've made a list of things to pack for the hospital (thanks to several threads here on this website, I have a list going). As I purchase them, I mark them off. Along those lines, I have fairly good ideas of the types of things I will be eating in each dietary stage so that I can plan ahead for grocery shopping when I get to that point. I purchased several books off amazon that were used, and very inexpensive. Things like bariatric cookbooks and bariatric mindset success books. I do try to read a little bit each day and then journal about what I read. I drive a lot for work so I have plenty of time to listen to podcasts. There are several that I enjoy that I feel are science-based, supportive and informative. I've learned many things from these podcasts about bariatrics. They're free and it's easy to just put one on a few times a week. Besides bariatricpal, I am trying to avoid other websites that deal with bariatrics at this point. It felt overwhelming and felt like I kept going down a rabbit hole of horror stories and it was not helping with my anxiety. There is one person on youtube that I enjoy watching because she's many years out and is very inspiring. Now that I have a date for surgery, this all feels very real and scary. I am trying to not give into the fear too much and remember why I am here at this decision. I need to take charge of my health. I have ONE precious life. I want to live the rest of my life in the best health that I can. I've tried desperately since I was about 20 (in my late 40's now) to lose the weight and keep it off. I've had high blood pressure for 15 years and no matter what I do, It continues to be an issue for me. I've been warned that I am pre-diabetic and likely someday soon that will catch up to me and I'll officially be diabetic. I cannot do this on my own and maintain it. It's that simple. This is my second chance and I will not turn back. This is honestly a story about saving my own life by asking for help. I hope this helps.

i was so excited to get new clothes i started buying around 3 months post op (even though i still had a horde of "skinny clothes" i could still wear that i kept all those years). and i continued to buy clothes here and there as i shrunk, and especially when i sized out of all my skinny clothes. the clothes i bought only lasted maybe 3-4 weeks before they were too big to wear anymore. annoying yes, but i had sooo much fun shopping and wearing cute new stuff, i didn't mind so much. though from a practical sense, i probably should have just bought more sparingly and focused on items that would last longer (think drawstings, wraps, belt-able items...and nothing structured or tailored-fit). best tine to overhaul ur wardrobe would be when u have been in maintenance for a couple months....but then where's the fun in that??? 😂

Are you eating well ? What is your daily average calories ? Are you getting your protein quota and liquids in ? Are you taking your vitamins ? Have you had any nutritional blood works done lately ? Sorry if this sounds intrusive but it does really matter if we are to give you a quality answer. I am due my 3 monthly B12 shot and I really know its due because I feel incredibly worn out and old again. In 2 weeks I will be running around like the ever ready bunny on the battery advert.