Search the Community

@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.

While I do soak my oats overnight, it’s not the traditional ‘overnight oats’ because I still cook it. I start with a microwave safe container. Add 1/4 cup traditional oats (half a serve & not instant which are more highly processed & has additives), 1/2 teaspoon dried cranberries, a tablespoon of mixed seeds & a cup of milk. I microwave it in the morning & then add 1/3 tub 20g protein yoghurt, additional milk for a runnier texture & blueberries. Gives me on average a good 22g or so of protein. You could add some unflavoured protein powder for an extra boost if you want. I eat it hot or cold. I always have a few spoons leftover (it’s very filling) which I eat as an afternoon snack. Be ware: don’t cook it after you add the yoghurt - it curdles - shudder! If you were wanting a quick grab & go breakfast before work, my version takes vey little time. Pop it in the microwave while you’re getting dressed. Stir in yoghurt, additional milk, berries & then go. The overnight recipes I’ve seen use half a grated apple & yoghurt, milk optional the night before & no cooking the next day. I think they use instant oats which is why it doesn’t need to be cooked. Traditional oats are a great complex whole grain carb. You get sweetness from the fruit you add so no added sugar. Great breakfast choice. I ate rolled oats & blue berries 3 or 4 days a week while losing & now eat it every day.

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.

I hope your stall was kick started. I had an awful September but the last 2 weeks I got back on track with getting in more protein and it has worked like a charm. I'm back on the protein shakes (once a day) to supplement my diet and get in around 100g of protein. I got off of the shakes for a couple of months because I got sick of them but I found some new flavors.

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??? 😂

FullSizeRender.MOV Hey loves checking back in! My surgery was 12/18! Today im down 20lbs im feeling excited about this upcoming month and hope to get down. I downloaded an app thats been very helpful with keeping realistic goals. I been walking and dancing as my workouts. Yesterday was my birthday and I was able to go out fine and order food obviously couldnt eat much and focused more on the meat than anything else but it felt amazing to just feel normal somehow. I do feel like im loosing weight so slowly but im trusting the process and I know iM eating dramatically less than before. Little by little. I want to do some lifting weights but I’m waiting til my month appointment to ask. I’m feeling so much better and almost back to normal. Before surgery 240 12/18 220 as of 1/11 still have one more week til im exactly one month post op.

I just had surgery on 1/4/24 and I am struggling. I never used to be obsessed with food and now it's all I think about. I am so sick of the Protein drinks and jello because everything tastes too sweet for me now. It feels/tastes like I am drinking sweetened condensed milk from the can. I am limited with broths I like, so that's an issue. I couldn't take it anymore, so I broke down and has refried beans yesterday (I'm not supposed to start pureed food until Tuesday). I regret having the surgery, and am resentful about not being to eat the foods I want. I have been on the liver shrinking diet 1 week before Christmas, which was awful watching everyone eat all those delicious Christmas treats, while I just watched. I think between that and the liquid diet post-surgery has broken me. I am emotional and miserable. Am I the only person to feel this way?

So today was day 11 and my symptoms are still that pull and tug or twist? When im drinking protein shakes or trying watered down soup juice ( cream of chicken thinned out with water then strained ). It feels like something squeezing my insides for a heartbeat then it finishes going down its uncomfortable and makes me NOT want to swallow anything besides water. A few of my incisions are healed up but puffy on the inside ( no pain or anything though ) and a few are painfully hard to ignore when im sitting up a certain way and sometimes when walking. I feel like the weight of my stomach is causing these aches because when i hold my stomach up with my hands pain is gone. Im going to see my surgeon for my 2 week follow up on the 31st so hopefully he can tell me whats wrong if anything. Also i still cannot stop spitting like it has decreased but not gone away completely it is SO annoying you have no idea. And i still get this pain at the roof of my mouth where the bone is right before your throat. Its not as painful as before but it still throbs on and off. I will update when i have news fingers crossed for me.

at 7 months my triumph/sv was reaching a my "revised" goal. i basically called goal 7 lbs above my original as i felt as i was looking way too skelator-ish. I was eating about less than 800 cals a day at the time and decided to start upping my cals. got to about 1500 cals 3 months later and settled into about 1800 today (5+ yrs later) ..,i was up to over 2300 at one point, but i was an exercise fiend during that era. i was exercising min 1 hour a day (sometimes twice a day) almost every day at the time. Today im at it 1-2 times a week. despite all this i weigh less today than both my original and revised goals. go figure. AND, i dont look skelator-ish at all. SCORE! lol WLS is still one of the best decisions i've made so far. Good Luck! ❤️

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.

Happy New Year! And oh my goodness, yes the hair shedding has been crazy for me too. I am trying not to worry too much about it because I heard it is normal due to trauma of the surgery and the nutritional changes, and that it might come back in thicker than before. I also heard that some ended up with wavy hair who used to have straight hair before surgery. I am keeping my fingers crossed for some wavy hair, because mine wouldn't hold a curl for nothing! But at the end of the day as long as it slows down shedding and comes back a little fuller, I will be happy. I make sure to get my BCAAs/Collagen in at least once day, and of course my daily multivitamin. My 3 month blood labs looked good overall according to my surgeon's office, so I haven't added any extra biotin at this time. I do take a B-12 twice a week. Keep us posted how the hair shedding goes for you. Take Care, Maia03

I had gastric sleeve 3.5 years ago and It went really smoothly. I remember being so super anxious but the best thing I did was to just tell the staff so they were all patient with me and did an excellent job of distracting me throughout the process of getting me prepped. When I got there the first thing they asked me to do was a pregnancy test (urine sample). Turns out I couldn’t pee so they rushed a blood test so no big deal. Then they had me change into a gown and hospital socks and put an iv into my hand. They asked me a bunch of questions about allergies and when I last ate and drank and all that stuff and the anesthesiologist came in and asked some questions about medical history. The surgeon popped in to say hi and then I was off to the operating room. Last thing I remember is them saying to take a couple deep breaths and then I woke up in recovery. I did freak out a bit then because no one told me I would have a nerve block in my stomach which makes it feel impossible to sit up and I wasn’t expecting that when I woke up. Of course the nurses are sitting right there and one explained what was going on right away and I was fine. They had to wait for a room for me so I was in recovery a little longer than normal so they had me up walking while I was still in there. After that I drifted off to sleep again and woke up in my room. Honestly I felt fine. Other than my stomach felt like I had done a bunch of crunches. Not pain, just sore when I tried to sit up. I didn’t have any of the gas pain that some people describe. They were a little concerned that my bladder didn’t wake up quite as quick as they expected so they put a basin in the toilet to measure it and when I did go and said they may have to put in a catheter if I didn’t go soon but I went shortly after and my output was normal So that wasn’t an issue. They gave me little medicine cups to drink water out of and again I was lucky and had no issues drinking small amounts. Then I think it was dinner time they brought a tray with broth and jello if I remember correctly. And crystal light. They brought in my daily meds and I asked them to take me off the pain meds because I didn’t feel I needed them. My husband showed up after work and we took a couple walks and then I went back to sleep. The next day I went home shortly after lunch. The whole time I was there they were pumping me full of fluids via IV. as far as the liver shrink diet mine was pretty lenient. Basically low carb it was a shake for breakfast and lunch and then lean meat and veggies for dinner. One thing I did to make it a little easier was to stop all carbs the week before so I could go through all them carb cravings while I could at least have as much of the other stuff as I wanted. I was also allowed some “free foods” like pickles, lettuce and jello which helped me feel like I was getting something. The dr did tell me afterwards that he could tell that I did a really good job on the liver shrink diet so I guess it really does make a difference for them to make the surgery safer.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Hello Everyone! I am also new to the community. I am having a gastric sleeve on 12/27. I have been investigating the sleeve for many years, but the timing is finally right. I had my first appointment with my surgeon in the beginning of August and got the go ahead two weeks ago. I've been reasearching, prepping, and planning my butt off! 😊 Looking forward to sharing the journey with all of you!

If he could swallow pills I would suggest Tart Cherry Extract Capsules. I suppose he could open them up and add them to applesauce. The juice is better but you have to drink 8 oz a day and while it has no added sugars it has carbs. Tart Cherry Juice has been proven in studies to reduce inflamation in people with Gout. It also is good for other inflamation. I had an issue with my eye several years ago; I was on every kind of medication from my Rheumatologist and nothing worked. This went on for months. Finally my eye doctor told me to try 8 oz of cherry Juice a day... the issued resolved in less than 2 weeks.

I'm actually amazed. Lost 90 lbs, down to fighting weight based on weigh-in at gym using one of those machines that measures body fat + weigh- in at doctor's with clothes on a day later. Went from 40 waist to 33 (American size), can now fit into clothes I could not wear for quite a while, work out 4 times a week at a serious gym, most sessions with a highly experienced trainer. I haven't done one sit up yet- it's about balance, step up, step down, with kettle bell, 12 reps, 5 sets, squats with a dumbbell, 12 reps, 5 sets, then next exercise, etc. I do my warm up 1/2 hour in advance of the trainer session so I don't waste time--it's all exercise when I work with the trainer. I drink a 30 gram protein drink before and another after, so I'm finally building some muscle on what is now a diminutive appearing frame. I can't quite press my body weight yet, but I will. I have long hair for a guy, and yeah, it was coming out when washing it (not every day, more like every 4 days unless I get sweaty) but that seems to have finally stopped. I have no cravings for foods that I cannot have because I get sick if I eat a slice of pizza with toppings or eat more indigestible foods. So I just stay away from them. I have developed a fondness for medium rare lamb chops and roasted potatoes with rosemary salt. My wife is a good cook but we still eat at restaurants and I'm careful. I found out that alcohol just doesn't work- a beer is too filling and carbonated, for some reason wine doesn't taste good; I'm a high proof whiskey man and it doesn't metabolize. I'm on my ass with far less than what I could normally consume, so I just stopped altogether. (Good because I have Barrett's and alcohol is inflammatory). Punchline- this surgery really turned me around. Trade-offs to be sure, but I feel so much better and look far younger. I can walk fast and not get winded as easily. I'm in my 70th year and don't look like a geezer-- more like a ruffian in rude health. I had targeted 185 as a goal weight and reached that but I still have a small roll of fat around my middle. I figure that I can continue to lose a little more given the surgery stats, and tighten up my core as my work-out regime continues. I'm gonna start swimming this summer-- where I am in Texas it is 3 months of summer and 9 months of hell. Hell is just starting here. The really hardcore stuff is pilates. I used to do that with a women's class and they kicked my butt. I'm planning to advance to that as well. I think the "whole picture" outlook is optimal for me- I don't check the scale at home, I do my thing and get routine blood work done. Though I have a few health issues which come with age, I'm in pretty decent shape now, physically and mentally. Thanks to all you kind folks for your advice and support.

I had the sleeve surgery 9/26/16 and did well with it till I had my gallbladder removed in 2018 then I developed severe gastric reflux. My surgeon found that my bile duct got stuck open after they removed my gallbladder. With the bile constantly running in my sleeve it eroded it causing some precancerous changes. Once my insurance approved for a second surgery we went with changing over to a bypass in June of 2020 to fix the problem. I was very happy that we ended up doing the revision because I no longer had to sleep sitting up and my stalled weight loss finally started back up again and I was able to continue my weight loss journey. Fast forward to the present of this year I have been holding a good weight of between 137 to 145 lbs and no health issues really I just still struggled with dumping a lot cause my new pouch didn't always like food but I maintain weight with the help of shakes. Then in August of this year for some reason I just started getting where I didn't feel well and I dropped like 17 lb like it was nothing. I contacted my surgeon because I was concerned because of how weak and tired I had felt and I've noticed like vision changes my muscles or shrinking rapidly I was becoming dehydrated and all kinds of new things that I wasn't prepared for. My surgeon ordered a upper scope and a lower which come back very good. My lab showed that I did have a couple vitamin deficiencies so I increased my vitamins I actually have to go redo my labs here because I also ended up getting sick and went in the ER in my liver counts were high and they never been high before so we're checking those this week. But now I'm having a harder time eating and getting my body to absorb my nutrition even the protein shakes aren't helping maintain my body weight I am dropping weight still pretty rapidly I'm down to 124 lb now and my immune system seems to have been weakened because I get sick super easy and I try to stay away from other people otherwise that makes it harder on me and I guess get wiped out. I am currently waiting for my surgeon to call me back because I'm getting more concerned about how we come getting it's getting harder to do every daily things such as washing my hair folding my clothes and putting them away my muscles hurt and they're tired and weak and they get all cramped up. I'm blessed to have this surgery but I was never expecting that I would get this new very weird complication of just not being able to eat very well and to maintain weight. I trust my surgery team he's wonderful I'm hoping they can figure this out I'd really do not want a feeding tube or a PICC line I work with the public and that's even getting hard to do and I've almost thought about applying for disability until I get this figured out so I can quit losing weight by exertion. I'm just wondering is anybody else going through something like this or they just out of nowhere started losing weight again and they just can't seem to get it to stop. I'm worried not only for myself but for my family because my kids are still pretty young and I'm not ready to leave this world yet I still have a lot to live for. Hw: 268 SW 221lbs LW 124lns Height 5'2

Hey we are all human and no one on here would or should be negative. You are only asking for help after all. Go food shopping, buy the good stuff, don't buy the rubbish. Use a food log, it keeps us accountable. I expect that I will be in the same boat next week with all the Christmas excesses and then I will have to really wind my neck in and get back into the swing of things. I allow myself a treat every day as I am at target - ish. My treats are 150 - 250 calories. I track at about 1500 calories a day. I rarely make my protein goals. My team are ok with what I manage though

You're welcome! Happy to help. I would definitely recommend finding some sort of therapist or coach to go along with you on this journey. Like you said, they give you directions on what to eat, but not really on how to eat, or how to deal with any thing else you feel or think in the process. Even though we know we're having the surgery to change how we do things in life, I think we all underestimate how much it changes, albeit, for the better. It's not terrible by any means, but in the first month I had several moments of "why didn't anybody tell me this?" lol. My advice for the next week for you, take Gas-X, walk a little every hour, even if its just a lap or two around a hallway, and move your arms around or over your head while walking to disperse the gas build up from the surgery. I didn't have any pain from the incisions, but the gas made it uncomfortable and hard to relax. Also try to get a shot glass of water in every 30-40 minutes if possible.

Hi all. New here. Had my surgery on 12/18/23: DS/BPD. Spent a single night in the hospital, with discharge ~1pm the following day. Apparently I'm having a somewhat rare complication, which is severe hiccups. By severe I mean where the diaphragm spasms and holds for 10 seconds, during which you cannot breathe. Fortunately, this hasn't happened more than once per day, and today I got a scrip for a drug called Reglan which should moderate the hiccups until whatever is irritating my diaphragm heals itself. Aside from that, the weight is dropping off rapidly. Lost 11 lbs on the 2 week pre-surgery 1K cal/day diet, and am losing since surgery an average of 2.3 lbs / day, which is mind blowing. Cheers, Bruce

I had my sleeve done in April of 2012. Had decent success until 2018 when I gained ALL of the weight back. I am now 2 weeks away from getting a re-sleeve. It is with a differnt surgeon this time due to the fact my original surgeon won't do it. I am very nervous. I worry about the actual surgery. Mostly because I already have staples & such I expect it to be more difficult. I know there isn't too much on this forum about getting a re-sleeve but I was wondering if anyone has had any personal experiences with this. Wondering if it will be as successful as the 1st was oringally. NOTE: I have made the personal decision not to have the bypass as an alternative. My doctor says that it is the usual revisionj choice but I am even more scared of that surgery!

Happy Birthday! A little treat won't hurt, but 2 big things: 1. Don't beat yourself up over going off of the diet once. It can easily lead to a spiral where you feel bad. Remind yourself its not a big deal when its a single event, just resume at the next meal like nothing happened, and don't let it become a daily habit! 2. Expect sugar cravings and being "hangry" for a day or two after having a sweet treat after weeks of having none. I felt ravenous after having treats over the holidays, and couldn't figure out why. I wanted to eat more than I knew I could physically handle. Our bodies are engineered to make the most of carbs because up until a hundred years or so ago, they were rare for humans to come across. Nowadays, sugar and starch are in everything, and our bodies haven't adapted to that change in food availability yet. That instinct will kick in and make you want to eat "all the carbs". The following 2-3 days, resist it and remember to stick to higher protein and savory foods until it passes.