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Not once have a used a 'bariatric' food product. I was expected to get my protein and other basic nutritional needs from actual food from day 1. The first three weeks I did as well as I could, which was not enough. After that everything fell into place. My plan didn't call for x grams of whatever, rather it was 3 meals a day, each meal consisting of 3oz protein and 1oz veggies, eventually small fruit. Somewhere in the first year I wanted to compare my 3 meals a day plan to other folks plans and I was generally a bit over 60 grams of protein per day. Snacks were not on the menu but if I simply had to have snacks SF popsicles were acceptable. Who's kidding whom.. SF popsicles were fantastic! I got curious about how my plan measured up to other folk, since they were given instructions including x grams of this and y grams of that. After I converted my 3 meals to grams of this or that I learned that my plan was very close the what most other folks were consuming. With the bonus that I don't need to count grams of stuff. Counting grams of this or that feels like one of the zillion weight loss diets I encountered previously. I went into this with the idea I would never diet again. My surgeon agreed that he didn't want his patients viewing this as another weight loss program. Doc and I agree on this point, a match made in heaven. Good luck, Tek

So i called for my psyc evaluation appointment today here in Florida and was told next available appointment is at the end of March... 3 dang months. No way to skip it. I tried going with a online psyc bariatrics evaluation doctor and my hospital rejected it and said no because they dont do it their way. I didnt think i would have to do this since i am paying cash and not using insurance. Endo Hospital in Mexico doesnt require a Psyc Evalucation.

Samesies! Well not quite the same, I had SADI-S. My surgery was in November 2020 and I had no complications and a quick recovery. I've lost 130 pounds so far. Mexico Bariatric Center was very thorough and professional in my experience. I am happy with my treatment there and very happy with the results. I also believe I could have had the surgery covered by my insurance but with the deductible, co-pays, and lead-up treatment (counseling, nutrition, etc.) I would have probably ended up paying about the same amount. And as Vassarini said, it would have been a 12 to 18 month wait time to actually have surgery. With MBC, I scheduled it 7 weeks out (for convenience, probably could have made it quicker if I wanted to). I did bring a companion, even though he had to stay at the hotel, and I liked having him close by while in the hospital and with me for the two nights in the hotel. In retrospect I don't think I would have liked having him staying in the hospital room with me overnight but visits would have been nice in a non-covid environment. Also useful for carrying bags in the airport. Didn't need a wheelchair. Piece of advice: If you can afford it, get a first-class seat for the return flight. I don't really have a PCP (I know, I know. . . ) so I haven't run into any problems with follow-up care.

Hi friends. Question for those who are farther along the journey than I am. I was just sleeved 12/9 and am in the puréed food stage. I’ve ordered a few things like soups from Bariatric Pal due to convenience and elevated protein content and it got me wondering about long term food strategies. For those that are a year or more past surgery, are you able to meet your protein goals with food items from the grocery store, or are you still supplementing with protein shakes and/or specialty bariatric products?

That would be awesome to have a bariatric friend nearby. Yes, I was told to only weigh in on Fridays too, but I just want to see the scale budge. Patience is my enemy lol. I will try my best to stop checking daily. You can text me at 347-620-4969 if you like.. just mention who you are when texting. This is just an app number that I use since I would never put my real number on here. We got this!

Interesting dilemma. A few perspectives. Would you tell if you had planned knee surgery? Or would you make up a story about getting run over as the day came? In a lot of ways, and forgive me for being frank, I think your own approach to WLS has been influenced by the idea that suffering from obesity is a moral failure, not a medical issue that can, in fact, be managed. If you read any of the latest scientific studies on the subject - and avoid people who make money from you suffering perpetually from obesity like weight loss programs, fitness coaches on Instagram, diet products etc - you'll find that some of us simply never had a chance. Rat populations who get put on too few calories start seeing obesity in the rats lowest in the social order. Isn't that food for thought? Studies where you put subjects under complete caloric input/output control (literally measuring exhaust 24/7 to monitor expenditure) and feed them 1000 calories too much a day see vastly different weight gain rates. Huh? Didn't we just learn calories in - calories out? Often, and even worse, the societal idea of obesity = moral failure leads to eating disorders, which compound the problem. --> You need life-saving medical intervention. You're not 'taking the easy road'. Does this influence your thinking on who and when to tell? For me, it made it much easier to share. And my attitude towards it has been this story, more or less, for my close-to-kinda-close people: "Hey, nobody loses 100+ lbs by going to a dietitian. And I have a life to live, so I got my head in order first, did the work of getting rid of using food as a stress relief mechanism, and then I was ready to take the road with the best chances of success: minor bariatric surgery, a planned diet, and moderate but frequent exercise. It's been great, really great. I'm now finding my balance point, I think most people gain a bit, so I'm expecting that and frankly, I could stand to gain a few" Surprisingly, people love this story and it definitely adds social points. Even among people not known for their empathy. Notice how this story is peppered with all the things that don't involve surgery. I want their story to be much more than surgery. Do you share intimate medical details with everyone? Or do you feel that's nobody else's business? The other - or rather, third - side of this is that it's your body and only you are entitled to learn about it. Medical information (yes, also in 2021 and 2022, freaks) is private. You don't owe anyone any explanation on what goes on inside you. I have a few co-workers who know, and who have kept it to themselves, but I don't think it's "office news". It's my body and my life and despite the time I took off (six weeks!), it doesn't concern them. Period. Remember that. As much as you shouldn't be ashamed of having WLS, you shouldn't feel the opposite of shame is self-exposure. Reality time: you'll end up telling her. And it won't be a big deal. Here's a good outcome, and there's a million variations on this, but I think you'll want to tell someone you share an apartment with. At the end of the day, we need people on our journey. Some of them will let us down, but we'll need to keep reaching out and accept the fact that sometimes, we get burned. That's the price for social connections. I think you'll tell her some time before, and that you'll tell her in a confident manner that actually, you've decided to think about your health and in a new way. Instead of beating yourself over the head about your weight, you realized this only helps sell more WeightWatchers classes. And here you are, back at square 1. So you've started the road to WLS, you've done your homework, you know outcomes aren't guaranteed, but you want a shot at something that will give you a better life. And dear Emily, we're close, we live together, and I want you to be a confidant on this new chapter because I like you. I trust you'll know that this is my information to share or not share; it should obviously go without saying with any private medical decisions, but I'm just saying it to avoid any confusion. I'm really excited for this, and well, you're probably going to see kitchen scales, mini-meals in the fridge, and a lot more weird protein products in the cupboards. Feel free to try them! I don't think it'll be a big deal. I think how you approach it will set the tone for it. Make sure you take the stress OFF yourself in that close-in living situation by managing expectations subtly like "hey, most people lose 50-60-maybe 70% of their excess weight, I'm not doing this to get a BMI of 25, just so that's clear. If I wanted a guarantee for that, I'd have to go with much more drastic surgery types and for now, I'm going with the first line of procedure recommended for people in my situation to avoid unnecessary complications". This removes the pressure and hey, anything above 60% will be a shared celebration. I told my close people I wanted to get to 220, but that the surgery on average would get me to 230ish. So getting to 220 was a huge milestone and well, I'm at 197 now. People react how you set them up to react is what I'm saying. Alright, sorry this got long. I hope some of it is helpful.

Hello! This is my first time posting and I figured this would be the best place to ask for advice. I'm going to be getting a gastric sleeve surgery in mid 2022. I've been meeting with a nutritionist regularly, and in January will be month 6 of supervised weight loss. After that I'll meet all the requirements for insurance and can go ahead with scheduling the surgery. In July/August of this year, one of my coworkers (Emily, whom I had recently met in April), had asked if everything was okay after I came back from a doctor's appointment. I had been feeling a little overwhelmed at the time with all the information I was receiving, but I didn't want to tell her that I was considering WLS. I told her that I had a small hernia that needed to be repaired, it wasn't a big deal, but I was going to the doctor regularly to monitor it before I could get it fixed. I hated lying to her, but I was still on the fence about telling anyone about getting WLS apart from my mom and my sister. I thought that this would be a good cover as well, since we work together and I'll need to take some time off to recover, but I knew that I didn't want to tell our other coworkers the real reason for my operation. Here is the issue I'm currently facing. Since we met, Emily and I have become incredibly good friends. We moved in together in October, and the living situation has been perfect. We have a very healthy and communicative friendship, and get along perfectly as roommates and as coworkers. She is one of the best people I've ever met and will be a part of my life for as long as I live. And I've already lied to her about the surgery. I realize this might be more of a moral dilemma than anything; I want to tell her that I'm getting WLS. I know that she'll be supportive. But I also don't want to put her in an uncomfortable place with the rest of our coworkers where she knows something that they don't. I don't know if I should roll with the hernia story and tell her that I've decided to get WLS at the same time (since small hernias can be repaired at the time of bariatric surgery), which will still be true to the rest of our coworkers as far as she knows. Emily isn't my boss in any capacity; she's been there a bit longer than I have, but we're in the same position so there's no issue there. Or maybe I should come clean and tell her the truth and that there is no hernia, which will then hurt her because I've now carried out this lie for 5 months. I'm going to have to tell her something, especially since we live together and my eating habits will drastically be changing. I wish that I had never lied to her in the first place; she's very important to me and I want to be honest with her. But I also don't want to put her in an uncomfortable position with the rest of our coworkers either. And yes, I realize that I should have been honest at the beginning. I didn't know her as well then and was scared that she would judge me. But I love her and I want to be honest with her without hurting her. Any perspective or advice is appreciated, I really don't know what to do from here.

The protein supplements are good for now but I agree with minigastricbypassdude that you should see someone because clearly there is something going on that needs treatment. I would see a bariatric surgeon if possible. It would seem that if you are losing hair in the last few months that you have been getting more protein than you are getting now over the last 20 plus years?? Did something change? A good question for the doctor.

You need to see a doctor; one that has some kind of experience with bariatric surgery. It's impossible for anyone here to tell you what's wrong, but clearly something is wrong.

The end of 2021 is upon us! I can't believe how FAST this year went. Anyone here planning to 'get on track', 'refocus', 'reset' etc in 2022? I fell off the rails a bit in the last several months and looking to get myself back on track. I've been doing very traditional keto level eating for the last 5 years but I would really like to go back to a more traditional 'bariatric' style eating with lower fat etc. Would like to keep my carbs low but really focus on protein again and I honestly don't really remember what that would look like-having been so submerged in traditional keto for the last several years.... Anyone have any good resources for this? I never reached my ultimate goal (came within 20 lbs). Had a health scare and although it's under control I do have some weight that I would still like to move off.

New to the forum, here is readers digest of my story. I am a 47 year old Caucasian male. I am on my third career. One kid to graduate HS this year, one to graduate in 2 years. Married 21 years. And I'm pretty good at lying to myself. I always told myself I was really good at dealing with stress. Never recognized I was a stress eater the entire time. I spent 15 years in EMS right out of college, 3 as an EMT, 12 as a Paramedic in a high performing urban 911 system. Then I went into the labor union world for another 10 years, negotiating contracts and working in workplace disputes. Now I work in Medical Insurance as a teacher/trainer/adult education specialist, teaching others how to handle appeals and complaints. I have some unique abilities that helped lead to me being 364 lbs (6 foot tall) in December 2020. I remain fluent in the 7-11 diet. I can look at a hot dog on the roller and tell roughly how long it has been on it. I consumed up to 2 liters of soda per day for many years. My partners all used to smoke, but I watched my grandfather die of COPD from smoking as a kid and have never touched a tobacco product. So in essence, I replaced cheap ass convenience store food and soda for smoking during my EMS career. My metabolism changed around age 30 and I just couldn't keep the pounds off anymore. And, this is important... I DIDN'T CARE. I was pretty burned out, crispy as a medic. I got a job offer to move into the labor union world, negotiating contracts and representing other EMTs and Paramedics around the country. I moved my family (wife and 2 young kids) to another state to work for a startup labor union. I took it. And I stopped exercising as I tried to conquer a new career field. What they don't tell you about labor work is that it is also high stress work. I cut soda out during those years but drank a lot of sweet tea and despite what my doctor, family, and friends would say.... I DIDN'T CARE about my size. The union I worked for went through an old fashioned union labor coup. My life was threatened and people intentionally harmed me personally and professionally. At the same time, my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. The union I worked for was absorbed by a big national union player. I signed on with the big national player because I needed the insurance for my wife. We weren't in a good place, survival mode. I spent the next few years traveling for the new labor union, in order to have the insurance to pay for my wife's cancer treatments. When my wife was well enough (she still is chronically ill, years later) to travel, I moved our family back to our home state of Oregon. The labor union I worked for (who had approved my move) promptly laid me off. So back into survival mode, I became a statistic. Middle aged man, laid off, starting a 3rd career. I was hired by a Medical Insurance Company that paid very little, but jobs were scarce and it was what I had. I took a second job at a local grocery store and worked 60-70 hours per week for a few years. There's no such thing as dietary control when you are working that much and are that tired, and frankly....I DIDN'T CARE about my size. Over a few years, my financial situation has improved and while we are not well off, I no longer work 2 jobs. My PCP asked me 3 years in a row to look into bariatric surgery. I finally looked into it, and this is important... I CHOSE TO TAKE THIS PATH. The choice is important. The surgery is just a step to get there. It was time for me to grow up. I'm 47 years old, Life is damn hard and I need to start taking care of myself... I already have several other medical conditions associated with middle age. I frankly still don't care what I look like physically, but I can see the road ahead and don't want to go down that path (obesity gets worse, diabetes, HTN, Stroke, High Cholesterol, Heart Disease). I did this to myself by not being disciplined. So to make this lifestyle change, I need to be as disciplined as possible. I was ready. I CHOSE. IT IS TIME TO GROW UP. December 2020 - 6' tall - 364lbs RNY Surgery December 2021 - 316lbs I am 4 days post surgery writing this today. And I worked my ass off to change my relationship to food. That's my story... For what it is worth. I finally decided to grow up.

Do you know why you gave up on your eating plan? Is there something happening in your life causing you undue stress. Are you grieving a loss? Do you think you might be depressed? Are you self-medicating with food? If you have access to a therapist, they can help you try to get to the root of WHY you feel the urge to eat the wrong things (or in the wrong amounts). Unfortunately, surgery helps the body lose weight but it doesn't cure the emotional issues that may have caused us to overeat in the first place. In the meantime, I don't know what you're eating that is problematic, but maybe start by getting rid of junk food, soda, sugar, etc. Go back to protein, veggies and fruit. Don't worry about quantity, but start by focusing on making good food choices. Once you "detox" from your problem foods, it will be much easier to figure out how you should eat going forward. Have you contacted your bariatric team? They should be able to provide support and guidance (and maybe a referral to a therapist). Best wishes, hope you can get back on track soon. Hugs. 🤗

Most plans given by Bariatric teams *may* allow bread months or years from where you are (but definitely not now). Some don’t recommend it at all. Did you receive any instructions from your Bariatric team about bread? I tried a bread based food at around 4 months post op (under advisement) and did not each much of it. At 4+ years out, it is still not a staple in my diet and I choose to eat mostly zero/low carb bread instead.

Hi everyone! I was just planning out my strategy for the coming Christmas dinners, lunches, brunches and thought I'd share. Maybe you guys have some tips to share as well! 1. Learning flexible control Problem We're used to thinking in black and whites. Good food and bad food. On-the-diet or off-the diet. Thoughts like 'oh well, since I already ate X, I may as well give up on my diet' are probably familiar to us. Solution This year, I'm going to eat beyond my calories, but not far beyond my calories. I'm not going to be counting, actually. I'm going to taste a little bit of everything, and stop when I feel satisfied. 2. Me first Problem "People expect me to be eating what they eat / I can't handle questions about how I eat / I will disappoint my Aunt if I don't eat this or that ..." Solution My body, my eating: I'm going to compliment the food I get, and in general take charge of the situation. I won't be hoping nobody notices I eat way less than the rest of the family, I'm eating how I want to eat and that's it. In general, I'm going to remind myself my eating is for my body. Their eating is for theirs. People who seem confident don't get second-guessed. Fake it 'till you make it. 3. Answering all the questions Problem People asking about my weight loss, commenting if I shouldn't put on some weight, judging bariatric surgery. Solution I'm going to be my own PR agent; and I'm coming prepared with answers. My answer to "how did you lose the weight?" is 'I fixed my mental relation to food first, then had bariatric surgery, and life has never been better, so happy with how I did this' is my prepared answer in a family setting. It sounds well-planned (and it was, btw) and doesn't open up a can of new questions. Rather it inspires co-celebration and I expect lots of 'good for you!' kinds of answers. Again, a confident attitude doesn't open attack lanes. My answer to "I think bariatric surgery is the easy way out" will be a question in return; "I don't know a lot of people who lost more than 100 lbs and kept it off without metabolic surgery, do you?" My answer to "oh but can't you drop the diet for a day and enjoy eating with your family like we do?" will be "I'd love to be here sharing a family meal in 20 years, too, so I'm not too focused on eating a certain amount, I'm focused on eating what's right for me" with a smile to make it less confrontational. However, a question like that warrants a certain amount of back off! in the reply. In general, see 2. I'll happily taste everything. I will eat however much or little I feel like, though. And it's okay to be a little on guard in our situation, we're still getting the hang of things. 4. Coming prepared Problem Finding myself without any options to eat something I'd like to eat. Solution Avoid setting myself up for failure: I'm stocking up the car on sugar-free chocolate, popped cheese, Quest protein chips, instant protein oatmeal and some fruit. If I'm hungry, I'm hungry, and then I need to eat. I don't want to chance it and find myself in a situation where I "have to" eat something I don't want to eat. I can eat whatever I want, in smaller amounts, but I'd like to have options. 5. Pre-forgiving myself Problem What if I end up eating 2,800 calories and washing that down with 1,200 calories worth of dessert wine? Solution The only way this will truly be a problem is if it means I'm back in beating myself over the head with it-land. If this happens, it was probably because it was a really fun night, the food was amazing, and hey, the upside to Auntie Liz' drinking problem is she brings awesome French dessert wine. Better help her drink that and move on with life the next day as planned. What do you guys do to fly through the holidays? Merry Christmas!

Generally post bariatric surgery we’re advised to avoid bread, pasta, rice especially while losing. They are nutritionally poor food choices, can swell &/or sit heavily in your much smaller tummy. Your focus should be protein. If you can only eat say 1/3 cup of food for a meal the majority of that 1/3 cup should be protein focussed. Some people do eat small amounts of vegetable pasta, cauliflower rice, etc. as they progress through the weight loss phase. And some find they can eat a little traditional bread, pasta or rice as they are able to eat larger portions at a meal. Many avoid these foods until maintenance when they start to reintroduce them into their diets. It does depend upon the plan you have been given & also how you react to certain foods. What does your plan/surgeon/dietician recommend? I still don’t eat bread or pasta or rice at 2yrs 7 months. They tend to still sit heavily in my tummy & I also try to focus on nutritionally dense food choices.

Thank you all for your kind words! These forums have been great for keeping me on track before and after surgery. I really appreciate you all. Honestly this is pretty much the only “before” pic, and I’m not even quite sure it’s at my highest. My program said take before pictures right before surgery, take measurements. But of course I didn’t listen. My main goal for photos pre-op was “don’t be in them”. A few more questions I see all the time I here I will answer: yes I lost hair, yes, even though I got my protein and vitamins. It just happens. I cut my hair shorter, and literally the only other person who noticed was my hair dresser. And all the hair is growing back now, which looks kind of funny since it’s a little frizzy halo on my head. But the whole hair thing is kinda funny to be honest, not a huge upset or a tragedy. No, I don’t feel like weight loss made me look dramatically older, nor did I gain wrinkles or jowls. But I’m in my 40s, and I’m a skincare enthusiast and regular Botox user so that may have influenced stuff. 😂 Yes, I can eat “normally” now. If I went out to a restaurant with someone who didn’t know it wouldn’t be obvious outside of what looks like a small appetite. I’m not eating special bariatric diet food. Happy to answer any questions people have! And thank you all again.

Yeh Jamieson is easily available here. But I was looking to get 1 pill a day kinda routine. But most of them are available in the US that costs shipping as much as the price of the meds. But I finally found a bariatric brand available on iHerb Canada and decent pricing with free shipping. It's called "Naturelo Bariatric multivitamin". It has all the requirements and my dietician is happy with it. So I'll be taking that for now until I get my blood work done. No other extra supplements needed. Even Calcium I get it from dairy consumption, so dietician will wait till the blood work to see if I need anything more.

Yes! My need for a knee replacement is actually what pushed me to have the surgery. The Ortho surgeon wouldn't do it unless I lost 75 pounds. I had the sleeve in March of 2019 and I had the total knee replacement in August of 2020. So I waited about 1.5 years between surgeries. But that's because it took time for me to lose the required weight. Ask the doctor (bariatric, Ortho, or both) but I don't think you will have to wait as long as I did. Best wishes.

Since you absolutely have to eat them (no other choices right now) I say cook the noodles until they are fully expanded (bordering on overcooked) to try to prevent them front expanding further in your stomach. Also you won’t need very much to eat now, so how much of it you eat in a serving will be limited anyway. But as soon as you can shop again ask the good people of this forum and they will help you chose things that will stretch your budget. (On a side note, I would love to see a thread created for an extremely tight budget - Bariatric style) Good Luck ❤️

I've always used drugstore vitamins (the better brands, like Centrum). You have to take two of them to meet the requirements. Here are the vitamin (and dosage) recommendations of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgeons (you have to scroll down to see them). ASMBS-Nutritional-Guidelines-2016-Update.pdf

Hello, so I was set on wanting to use Bariatricpal once a day multivitamin but cost of shipping is more than the cost of 3 months of supply. So I am back on square one and not sure which brand to go with. Anyone from Canada? Which brand of supplements did you use, easily accessible for Canada, specifically Ontario?

It's actually interesting, and while I definitely benefited from a calorie goal (and from it being high, comparatively), I think this will be the future of bariatric surgery. I've been sponging up so many scientific studies on this area, because I am a huge nerd when it comes to things that concern myself. I want to know it all. And it does seem like bodies ... end up where they're supposed to end up (with some variation, mind you) after surgery. No matter the program. What seems to differ is the regain. And this might be where portion sizes and types of food come in, rather than calories. Maybe our bodies adapt to whatever diet we put it on while going to our new set point? The Biggest Loser study from Harvard is pretty shocking in that regard (bodies can get +700 cals/day more efficient - that's a problem if you want to keep the weight off - it's not just calories in, calories out). Anyway, it'll be interesting to see how it goes for you! And don't go ultra low on food just because you can - that'd be my advice. I had tremendous success so far, and I've had a lot more calories than most here.

Not to worry, Msleo88. Many bariatric veterans suggest that you not weigh for at least 3 weeks post-op due to the crazy weights fluctuations caused by fluid. I know it’s hard to resist weighing, but stick to the plan and you’ll see results.

It really gets down to how bad your GERD (everybody gets occasional heartburn, that's just being human) and what is causing it. If it is caused be a hiatal hernia, which is quite common amongst obese people, then that will be fixed during your surgery. However, there can be other causes more specific to you that may not be fixed, in which case the RNY may be the better choice. If you haven't had one, I would suggest getting an EGD (endoscopy) to find out what's happening down there and guide you in your decisions. Some surgeons routinely order them pre-op, and others don't, but I think it's a good idea to answer questions like this. Having a surgeon who is well experienced with doing sleeves (not just bariatrics) is also helpful, as it takes practice for them to consistently get the sleeve right. When I had mine done ten years ago, there were a lot of sloppy sleeves being done as that soon after the sleeve started being approved by US insurance and most surgeons were still working their way up the learning curve. That is less of a problem now (at least here in the States) as most surgeons here are well up that learning curve, but there are still newbies at is out there and they should be avoided, particularly if things are marginal in the reflux department.

Hold on, I'm about to use SCIENCE! Your body has a set number of calories it burns even if you are completely inert (sleeping, G-d forbid in a coma, etc.). It's called your basal metabolic rate (BMR). It fluctuates with your weight and with how fast your metabolism is. For, say, a 40-year-old, 5'4" woman who weighs 250 lbs (not unusual for a bariatric patient), BMR is around 1800. Now add on any kind of daily living to that, which required calories, and you end up with a number called total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). If you're the same woman above and you're sedentary, your TDEE might be 2200; if you are one of those nutters like me who goes to CrossFit and goes running and works a physical job, your TDEE might be as much as 3000 calories. Now. You've had your surgery. You are not physically capable of eating anywhere near that amount. Let's say you're at 800 calories a day. Simply by eating those 800 calories and existing, your body will naturally be in a 1000 calorie a day deficit. Add in sedentary lifestyle, and you're in a 1400 calorie a day deficit. Generally speaking, about 3500 calories is a pound lost (this is not always true and can be overcome by fluid retention, fluid balance, hormonal changes, menstruation, eating really salty foods, vitamin deficiencies, etc.). Now let's say you're "overeating" and you're doing 1200 calories a day; you're still 600 calories short of your caloric needs just to exist, and 1000 calories short of what you need for a sedentary lifestyle. You are going to lose weight. You are not going to 'ruin' anything. What is happening to you is your body is rebalancing its fluids. That is why the "three-week stall" happens. Every body is subject to the rules of CICO (calories in calories out), and eventually CICO will take over from your body's rebalancing and the numbers will drop again. And do measure yourself once a week! Bust/chest, waist, abdomen, hips, thighs, calves, biceps, neck. This week I didn't lose a ton of weight BUT I lost a half inch off my waist, and I can tell because my trousers keep slipping and I had to put a new hole in my belt. One suggestion: don't weigh every day. And if you can't help it—some people just have to, I'm one of them—keep a running tally and then pick a day, let's say Tuesday, and average your weight over the last seven days. Then use the average weight to gauge progress, not the number on the scale that day. Where the thick smoothies and things come in is that your stomach is still healing from the trauma of surgery. But here's the thing—your body will TELL you when it doesn't like something you eat. It will clam up your stomach. Or make you nauseated. Or have unstoppable hiccups until your stomach empties. Or give you the sniffles (which is SUPER AWESOME during a respiratory pandemic, let me tell you). I ate a bite of an egg roll yesterday and got punished for it. So... tl;dr... don't worry too much about it, especially at first. Feed your body the protein and liquid it needs, and then move on to other foods.