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Roh! (this is French for discontentement) I've just got home from Athens and got on my home scale - I'm back up at 70.6kg (155.4lbs). I know from the Athens scales that my weight hasn't budged since the 15th - so 9 days. My brain knows that this was going to happen but my heart is upset (Le coeur a ses raisons que la raison ne connait point ... The heart has its reasons that reason ignores.). This means that since I left home 15 days ago I've only lost 1.9kg (4.2lbs). Breaking back into the 60's is really important to me and I just can't make it. So I'm upset ( and tired and overworked right now I think, my flight was delayed - I left where I was staying in Athens at 3.45 am, my flight was slightly delayed, and luggage delivery took a whole hour so I had to go straight from the airport to a meeting with very very little sleep). I'm home now but just have time to do laundry and unpack and repack because I leave for the UK early tomorrow to see friends in London before a conference in the north next week. I just want it to be the summer and to be on holiday already. I want to spend more that 24 hours in my own home. And I want to see a number starting with a 6 on the scale. I'm doing the best I can with food. I'm walking and being as active as I can. I'm just so so disheartened. I think I just need a nap.

I feel the same... excited and nervous. I was so lucky that the therapist who did my psych evaluation for the surgeon had the surgery about 10 years ago and has kept her weight off. I'm meeting with her again 2 days before surgery for some reassurance and help with the nerves. All you get for 2 weeks is skimmed milk? that sounds really harsh! I'm not even sure that's sustainable???

Had my first consult October 13th. All my testing is complete as of last week. Was hoping to get a surgery date for late December but that doesn't look like it's going to happen. (Duodenal Switch) I've been reading about others having 3 day up to a week liquid pre-op diets up to surgery. My surgeon said no less than two weeks. I guess all surgeons have their preferences. I've read a few books and listened to as many podcasts about Bariatric surgery per-op and post-op. I feel like a have a good hold on it. I started a Keto/Carnivore diet back in June. Limiting carbs and Sugar wasn't a big deal starting a 100 Gram Protein & 100 Gram carb diet the dietician has recommended for me to be on now. I've lost 47 pounds since June and 27 since my October consult.

Yes! I have been the same. I stalled just before two weeks post op and I've been stuck at the same weight, give or take 0.2lbs since! I did speak with my dietician yesterday and she said take the batteries out the scale and stop weighing at the moment, but I don't think I can do that 😆 She did say do not worry, it's totally normal, so I try and remember that but it is frustrating. I like to think of it as our bodies are trying to recover and figure out what's going on and that's all it is.

i had 3 procedures done: arm lift, tummy tuck & breast lift. if i was told i could only choose 1, i'd pick arm lift every time. like u said, other areas are easily camouflaged by clothes/undergarments...but u cant hide ur arms in tank tops/short sleeves. ask ur surgeon what his thoughts are on ur results if you were to lose an additional 20-25 lbs AFTER an arm lift...it *may* be negligible? good luck! ❤️

I was told two weeks. I'm surprised they didn't give you a specific date to start it. I'm just glad it's not on my birthday

Sorry tech challenged, I meant to answer you lol. I was on a 5 week optifast pre-op liquid diet only. Also water of course. I was honest to my team as I wasn't perfect the entire time time. Probably why it didn't shrink enough... I don't know.

Thanks Yes, eating has improved though I do get the occasional vomiting and don't know what causes it as it is usually from something I have eaten before with no issue. I do know that I still eat too quickly for what the dietician told me but it is slower than pre-op and I don't think that was causing the vomiting. I had xrays of my stomach today so will find out next week if the tubing has helped close up the leak. If not I think it will be another procedure but no point worrying about that yet. I think once we are happy with ourselves and can see and feel the improvements we are living a better life even if the scales still don't go down as much. I am never going to be a tiny size, and honestly I don't want to be as I feel it looks aging on me.

Mine is scheduled for February 21! (It was supposed to be December 27, but that was a whole big mess detailed in another post). I met my new surgeon on Tuesday and had my blood work, EKG, and barium swallow yesterday. 7 weeks to go!

Congrats on the surgery, and your first steps towards a healthier you! It looks like I'm a day late, but echoing what others are saying, the first day is the roughest, by far, but it eases up quickly throughout the week. Walk and do arm exercises (lifting over your head, rotating, just any movement while walking), and this will help dissipate the gas pressure you're probably experiencing right now. Try to do a little every hour, even if its just walking down the hallway and back a couple times. If your doctor allows it, take Gas-X to also help with the gas pressure. It kept feeling like it was getting stuck in my left should/chest area, and was really uncomfortable. That was my biggest complaint about the process the first couple weeks, but the walking and gas-x would buy me a couple hours of relief. Also, for the protein shakes during your liquid phase, get the Fairlife brand 30g or 42g shakes if you can find them. They taste more like chocolate milk and don't have that chemical taste that a lot of other protein shakes have (Premier protein and muscle milk). Check Sams Club and Costco for those.

In time, yes you’ll be able to take normal sized bites (whatever that is) but not big mouthfuls. You’ll notice as the weeks pass you can take more than just part of a teaspoon until you work out what size bite you are able to take. For me, it’s more not swallowing too much than the size of the bite. But smaller bites do help ensure you to take time to eat your meal & allow the message you’ve had enough to get through (takes a good 20+ minutes) & to think about your eating not mindlessly shovelling food in. You may find you don’t have to wait 30 mins before & after eating to drink & can get away with less time. Or you may be able to have the odd sip while you eat. Again this is an in time/eventually thing & working out what you can do as against anyone else. But remember, fluids will temporarily fill you & will flush food through your digestive system more quickly.

I'm glad it helped!! Oh yes, I forgot to mention that, moving to soft foods will help some, purees just don't have as much solidity to them. There is a huge difference between a 1/4 cup of pureed food vs 1/4 of a solid protein, even if it is a soft protein... At 8 weeks I was cleared for most foods and I think that is part of the reason why my hunger started to ease off around then. If your PPI is omeprazole it is possible it isn't working as well as you need it to, sometimes people need something like Pantoprazole or Dexilant, so if that gnawing hunger at night continues you may want to ask your doctor about it at your next appointment! ❤️

I am not open about my surgery. Very few choice people know that I have gotten done. When they ask how I lost weight I say, I am sticking to a lower carb diet, cut out alcohol and am walking for 30min 5x a week. This is all true so technically I am not lying lol If they ask why I have lost so much, I just tell them well because my family all have health issues so I want to take control before that happens to me. Usually works. I get compliments and when people ask "Have you lost weight?" I just smile and say ya a little. I just make it light and don't make a big deal about it. This is my journey no one elses.

@Greekmom4 that bean recipe sounds good. Is salsa considered a purée though? I guess you can purée it a little more. I’m gonna order some now and try to use my little hand blender with it and see what happens. You have to tell me how exactly you went about making purée chicken salad. Was it totally mush? I am allowed canned chicken and tuna and a little low fat Mayo but that seems like a big jump from liquid to me. @Hiddenroses i haven't experienced that but have heard of lots of weird physical aches and pains, especially back pain that occurs as we lose because our posture changes so quickly. And lots of people do end up needing a cushion when they sit after a while. I’m gonna guess it is the loss. Your first NSV!! Needing extra butt cushion 🎉 @Onemealplan are you allowed the egg substitute? I had never tried them until my pre op diet and they are surprisingly good. The first ingredient is egg whites but they add some stuff to make them taste a whole lot more like regular eggs which is great for me because I really don’t care for egg whites. They are also super soft and moist which is good for us right now. @Hiddenroses I am editing this post to add that now that I am paying attention I am feeling a bit of tingling in my butt cheek. I am lying in an adjustable bed watching tv and I’m actually not in a very comfortable position at all but I swear I just noticed some tingling in the right side and shifted my weight. 🤣 I guess if it happened before I just didn’t pay much attention. I’m lucky that I haven’t had to do any desk chair sitting this week. That just got me to thinking about when will be the best time to get a new mattress. One thing I do remember with the sleeve was that the mattress seemed uncomfortable after I lost a significant ***** of weight. I think it’s because I was not sleeping in my same dented in spot with the posture changes. I flipped the mattress a few times and then ended up switching mattresses with my husband who is tiny because he can sleep on anything and that worked last time but I don’t remember if they have been replaced since then. I’m thinking not so I’m going to have to for sure this time at some point.

Ty for the links @NickelChip and yay on the weight loss! Woohoo! I have a major sweet tooth also and have made these brownies twice and think they are pretty good. My twig of a hubby likes them also 😂. I mean they’re not as good as “real” brownies but honestly you get used to it if you stay away from “real” sugar which I do. (Mainly bc I know I’ll go overboard if I try eating sugar again so I just avoid it all together.) I also try to eat and cook mostly keto/very low carb most of the time. This website has some pretty good recipes and directions for freezing and stuff. I’ve tried a few recipes from another website also that I’ll link for you. i don’t make my food separate. My hubby eats whatever I cook for me, just more of it and when my kiddos (20 and 24) were here a couple of weeks ago, they ate what I made for myself also. 😉 of course I try to make stuff I knew they wouldn’t hate 😂. Try these https://thebigmansworld.com/best-fudgy-keto-brownies/ Made these a couple of nights ago https://thebigmansworld.com/keto-stuffed-peppers/ I’ve also made this and so has my daughter and she likes it too, I’ve made it once as written and then doubled the recipe once using lean ground turkey and ground pork. https://www.eatyourselfskinny.com/chicken-egg-roll-in-a-bowl/ plus I’ve made a couple of other recipes on this last website that were good also just trying to mix stuff up…..I hate eating the same crap all the time. oh and we eat the egg roll in a bowl with cauliflower rice 😉

What else is allowed on your program? Some are more lenient than others. Mine allowed tomato or strained cream soups, for example. Although lobster bisque has got to be one of the richest soups I've ever encountered. It's so full of calories and fat, not to mention lobster is not as easy to digest as, say, flaky white fish. I honestly can't imagine eating this 4 days post-op. Greek yogurt would be a healthier option, or strained cream of chicken soup. So, the issue with coffee is caffeine, which dehydrates. If you said you were getting 64+ oz water every day, no problem, I might shrug at a little bit of coffee. Some programs allow a cup a day. But given that you're struggling to hit even a much more modest 48oz goal, I wouldn't drink something that is known to dehydrate you. Could you try decaf instead? I drink a 32 oz travel mug of decaf tea every morning and it goes down so smoothly, better than water, and counts toward my hydration goal. Ultimately, taking a bite or sip of something forbidden isn't as big an issue as why you're doing it. When I am tempted to do something not approved on my plan, I have tried to ask myself why, and get to the bottom of it, because what can quickly undo all your best efforts and intentions is not being in a healthy headspace. Is there something going on that will continue to drive you to push the limits, or lead to a slippery slope? That's something only you can know. I totally understand how boring and disgusting the options get that first week post-op. But it's really such a short time. For me, my program allowed soft proteins at one week post-op. That's really not so long to wait. Your body doesn't need much right now. If you're like me, you don't even experience hunger yet. So "needing" something different is mostly head hunger, which can get a lot more dangerous as you go along. Bending the rules now makes it a lot more likely you will bend them later, too.

I would say prepackaged foods are fine for popping in your bag when you go out in case of emergency, but for work, you might want to figure out a better option because that's multiple days every week. Personally, I like baby carrots, red peppers, snow peas, and mini or English cucumbers. Mushrooms are good, but they make me feel ill right now (too dry). If you like ranch dressing, get the container of ranch powder from the dressing aisle and buy some low or non fat cottage cheese. Put the cottage cheese in a food processor or blender and blend it until it's totally smooth. It'll look like pudding, sort of. Add in about a Tbsp of ranch powder per 16oz container of cottage cheese. This makes a fantastic and really healthy dip. I bought a set of parfait cups from Amazon like these: https://www.amazon.com/CRYSTALIA-Breakfast-Container-Colorful-Set/dp/B09N8K6CZ5. I put the veg in the big section and the dip in the small section, and then I store them upside down so the dip doesn't get all over. You can make up 4 days' worth at one time for convenience. Instead of the protein shake, could you make a green smoothie? You could do a frozen fruit blend, a handful of baby spinach, and a serving of Greek yogurt (thin with water to your preference). I like to add a squeeze of minced ginger that comes in a bottle in the produce section. I get a blend of frozen peaches, strawberries, blackberries, and blueberries that comes all in one bag and is so tasty.

I'm so sorry you are experiencing this!! This isn't a you problem!! If you aren't losing sufficient weight you are either being given poor advice from your nutrition team, poor medical support from your surgeon, or it is possible your body is under significant stress for whatever reason and isn't losing weight. There are rare cases when someone with a sleeve doesn't respond but often those are people who have low starting weights. If they had a high starting weight and don't respond to the sleeve surgery, these people generally end up revised to bypass or a DS/SADI, and then lose weight, but again, that should be a convo being initiated by your surgeon as a future possibility if food modification and medications don't work. Some people take GLP-1 meds to help jumpstart their weight loss if the surgery hasn't triggered it, but again, at the 6 month mark this should be something the surgeon initiates conversation about. You shouldn't be living in fear of your appointments with them. If you aren't feeling supported you might consider getting a second opinion from another bariatric surgeon in the area not affiliated with this practice. I strongly believe in second opinions when talking things like surgery... It may sound like I'm being harsh on your team, but lets be clear. They made a nice chunk of money off of your surgery. You deserve good aftercare!! Some surgeons, like my own, believe that the best way to lose weight in the first 6 months to a year after surgery is through being in ketosis. This involves a good protein intake (60-80 grams with the sleeve) and carbs below 50 total carbs or 30 grams net carbs. You can get pee strips to test if you are in ketosis. Once in ketosis you should go through regular periods when you lose some weight, followed by periods where you lose none as your body stabilizes from the previous loss and recalibrates. If this doesn't happen, I'd definitely be communicating with the surgeon about it! What dietary advice did your team give you? Hydration is important for weight loss. If you aren't able to eat enough calories or drink enough water your body will go into starvation mode like @summerseeker mentioned. This is a huge stressor to the body!! And huge stress will cause weight loss to stop. Sleep is also crucial to weight loss, often more important than exercise. If you aren't getting regular sleep for enough hours per night, this can stall your weight loss. Physical activity of some kind is important, but it accounts for less weight loss than proper nutrition and sleep. And if you are under calories and under hydrated exercise will just further stress out your body.

Hey, so I'm on a hunt for a good collagen supplement that won't break the bank? Right now I'm using Spring Valley Collagen and Biotin. I'd say I've been using it for two weeks so far. I feel like it's probably helping my skin, but I'm not noticing anything really with my hair which is what I want it for and because my team recommended it. Anybody using collagen?

My dietician wanted me to get at least 90g of protein a day and 30g or less carbs. My energy has been sapped as well. But I also work 55-60 hours a week. So that doesn't help much along with getting in some exercise daily. So, I've been getting in 40-45 g of carbs and that seemed to help some. But I've also had no more than 100 grams.of caffiene every couple days. I use the baritastic app and log everything. It's helps a lot. My dietician can log in and see what I've been doing. She hasn't said anything, but I also don't have an appointment with her until next month. I think my issues are getting enough vitamins and minerals. My hair used to grow very fast, now it doesn't. I take three multivitamins a day and two B-complex vitamins. Along with calcium chews. I also have an appointment with the bariatric center where I had the surgery. I'm certain they will have another round of blood tests to see if I have any deficiencies. Sorry this was a book. 😁

I know it’s hard, it’s almost inbuilt, but try to avoid comparing yourself to others. Our weight loss experiences can be so different & comparing only leads to frustration, annoyance & sometimes depression. There will always be those who lose faster or those who lose more slowly than others. There isn’t a time frame in which you must lose your weight. You’ll get there in your time. Weight loss is erratic. Better to watch the general trend not the daily fluctuations. If the general trend is downwards you’re golden. Yay! As I always say: celebrate every pound you lose. P.S, @BlondePatriotInCDA - Ten pounds a month is still averaging about 2lbs a week which is generally accepted as a good rate of weight loss. And you’ve lost 80lbs! Worth being happy about.

You may want to clarify pre-op vs post-op targets. I've been given two separate handouts. The lists are similar but a little bit different in terms of what is allowed. I've never personally heard of a pre-op limit on how much protein shake to drink in each sitting, but that doesn't mean your surgeon doesn't do things different. Post-op, you'll probably be lucky to get in a full 5oz early on, but that's a different story. Right now I'm on day 11 of my 14 day pre-op diet and I have been having 3 shakes per day plus sugar free liquids and popsicles. My shakes are made from powder, 2 scoops to 8oz of water. My targets were simply to get 60-80 oz of protein per day and 64 oz minimum of water. It wasn't on the handout, but when I asked my doctor, he said try to stay under 1000 calories per day. Definitely worth a quick call to your surgeon's office.

I wonder if your therapist just chose the wrong word. I think we all enjoy food (stimulating all the senses) but what we don’t do (or try not to do) is rely on it as a comfort or let it take up a great deal of our thinking. So may be glamorise wasn’t the best word and focus or fixate may have been better. But they should have given you some strategies to help. You may have to ask for some the next time you meet. You know that old adage of eating to live not living to eat? For many of us that is what it is like now. I still love to go out to restaurants with family & friends. I still like to try new foods. I still like the taste, smell, texture, & sight of food. I still love to cook & try new recipes. I just watch portions, ingredients, cooking styles, frequency, etc. & make adjustments accordingly and also make the best choices I can in the situation. But a lot of that has become second nature now & don’t think about it much. If you were someone who used food to comfort or sooth yourself, the first weeks after surgery can be challenging. Your emotions can be all over the place & you may be stressed, anxious, teary, …. If when you felt like this before surgery you turned to food you may want food more now simply because you can’t which can also make you more emotional. Plus being restricted about what you eat can often make you crave the food you can’t have even more. Though challenging, these things are temporary, not long term & certainly not forever. In the meantime try distracting yourself when you find the food voices in your head too loud or you think you may hungry. It’s a great strategy we all use. Go for a walk (as you’re able), read a book, craft, ring a friend or family member, play a game or do a puzzle, check your socials (like this forum), meditate, etc. Sometimes a warm drink can be helpful like green or herbal tea (counts to your fluid goal too - yay!). All the best.

Thanks for sharing. In a little over a week I'll undergo a 360 with a breast lift and implants and these are very encouraging. I admit to being afraid of the pain too, but everyone has said that it's worth it. I figure if they could do it, so can I.

I got severe pancreatitis after my surgery in July and ended up 12 weeks in hospital due to it plus also a hole in stomach and infections. I hope you are doing better now. I was told afterwards that it can be a side effect but not sure if that was just doctors covering their behinds!