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Hi Summer! Thank you for the hugs, I really appreciate it. Thank you for the reassurance, I will obviously keep trying my best, and know that it will end in 25 days. Thank you for sharing your experience, I think you're right. It feels a bit resentful towards the people around you. I hate that most people don't go through this. I hate that my partner can eat what he wants and gain nothing. I hate the fact I have to do this for 4 weeks. But it will help in the long run of course. It's crazy that you lost 15 pounds from the diet though! Those are some fantastic tips, thank you so much! Do you just have the sugar-free jellies when you just need a cheeky pick me up? I will see how I get on this week and then contact them for advice if I'm really struggling still. Thank you 🙂

Write down your current health issues, struggles, anything that your weight is causing you trouble with. Then write down as each thing gets a little better during the diet. Also, definitely weigh yourself once a week and look at your entire body to remind yourself where you started, see where you're at, and envision where you want to be. Try to move your body more. I know at your current weight, it can be hard. Try to do some floor and chair exercises. Maybe ride an exercise bike. Do water exercises. Anything at all, more than you normally do, will help you so, so much. But don't try to do anything taxing since you're so low calorie. You should be able to have broth, right? I loved vegetable, chicken, and beef. Jello is also allowed on an all liquid diet. Try some of that and see if it helps. Also maybe cut some of the sweetness out of the shakes by adding a little unflavored shake mix to it. Can you add any fruit to the shakes? I noticed that if I made a shake and added frozen strawberries and blueberries (or raspberries and blackberries, depending on what I wanted) it actually cut the artificial sweet taste way down. I hope some of this helps!!

I feel the same. I was explaining to my partner that it's just liquid that doesn't even touch the sides. On top of that all the shakes are sweet, not savory, so it just feels like I'm having rubbish sweet shakes and nothing else. Sleep is the only time I feel okay because I don't feel the hunger as much. I just feel like I'm struggling on day 3 never mind another 25 days. I think maybe writing down the positives/reasons I'm doing it when I feel like I can't do it anymore or I'm tempted might be a good way to go. To remind myself. I think I'm going to weigh myself once a week to just see the scale down a little. Any weight loss is positive reinforcement. Thank you for sharing, it really helps!

Honestly? That it was the day before surgery. If it was 3 or 4 days out, I might have given in. Just being honest. When you have a large stomach and have a really high bmi, going to all liquids and shakes and having calories super low isn't a realistic long term situation. The hunger was on another level. I kept reminding myself that I needed to do this for my kids, my granddaughter, and ultimately myself. I was tired of all the pills I had to take, tired of all the health issues and mobility problems and joint pain. For the most part, that worked. When I stopped caring about that stuff, I started forcing myself to look at my body in the mirror and really see what I looked like. I reminded myself that the surgery would help me not be fat like I was, not look like a butterball turkey, not look like my face and neck were gonna pop. By the time THAT quit working, it was the day before surgery and I knew that I was about to be on the other side of this. Seeing that I was losing weight before the surgery because of the diet really helped, too....

Sleeve in 2017 to revision Gastric Bypass Aug 2023 - Update Hi All! I can't believe how fast time has gone! I will be going to my 6 mth check up tomorrow 2/20/24. Everything is a lot better! As of today I am 173lbs, I'll update my ticker it's still at 183. I am able to eat more varieties that I cook at home. Can't tolerate beef to well but I was never a big red meat person. I am still on the fence with salads/raw vegs though I can tolerate raw onions and tomatoes. I CANNOT eat take out! Purchased chinese for my son as he was going back to college... tried a little and was bringing it back up the rest of the night! If I eat out it has to be at a place that actually cooks food like salmon, veggies, no added anything. Food prepared at home is MUCH beter because you know what's in it. I am not doing too well with my multi because I purchased capsules that I open to put in my protein smoothies (Unjury Vanilla) which I don't take every day anymore. I just purchase the multi-vitamin patch from the bariatric store, I'll update you on that later My food is mostly a diet consistency of pescatarian due to the low cal/high protein and the ease of my system digesting the food. I would occassionally eat chicken as well (ground, poached breast etc), turkey hardly ever because the meat is not as soft as chicken. My veggies are fine steamed, some legumes & beans (occasional), as far as grains or potatoes etc I try to not do carbs at all or keep them at a bare minimum (jasmine or basati brown rice) with an occasional meal...I've really gotten into sweet potatoes as I didn't eat them a lot before. Swelling is gone, skin is good, and I can visually see the difference in pounds and inches loss especially from a side view lol. I still have work to do (vitamins, eat more, move more) and I am working on it. BTW!!!! I am back in the health & wellness field as I start my new position next week. I took a pause last summer. Now as I am on my health journey I'll be helping my patients with weight loss and adopting healthier lifestyles. My goal is to lose 13 more lbs and as you all know after running so long and you can see the finish line in sight....your legs get weary and that last sprint is the hardest. It is good to move from "morbidly obese", to "obese", to now "overweight"...do you guys feel the same? Let me know how you all are doing!

@newbegining2024 Hi All! I can't believe how fast time has gone! I will be going to my 6 mth check up tomorrow 2/20/24. Everything is a lot better! As of today I am 173lbs, I'll update my ticker it's still at 183. I am able to eat more varieties that I cook at home. Can't tolerate beef to well but I was never a big red meat person. I am still on the fence with salads/raw vegs though I can tolerate raw onions and tomatoes. I am not doing too well with my multi because I purchased capsules that I open to put in my smoothies which I don't take every day anymore. I just purchase the multi-vitamin pack from the bariatric store, I'll update you on that later My food is mostly a diet consistency of pescatarian due to the low cal/high protein and the ease of my system digesting the food. I would occassionally eat chicken as well (ground, poached breast etc), turkey hardly ever because the meat is not as soft as chicken. My veggies are fine steamed, some legumes & beans (occasional), as far as grains or potatoes etc I try to not do carbs at all or keep them at a bare minimum with an occasional meal...I've really gotten into sweet potatoes as I didn't eat them a lot before. Swelling is gone, skin is good, and I can visually see the difference in pounds and inches loss especially from a side view lol. I still have work to do (vitamins, eat more) and I am working on it. BTW!!!! I am back in the health & wellness field as I start my new position next week. I took a pause last summer. Now as I am on my health journey I'll be helping my patients with weight loss and adopting healthier lifestyles. My goal is to lose 13 more lbs and as you all know after running so long and you can see the finish line in sight....your legs get weary and that last sprint is the hardest. Let me know how you all are doing! (this will be posted in a new thread as well)

Nerves & feeling anxious before surgery isn’t unusual. You are doing something that requires many changes to you physically, psychologically & emotionally. And you don’t have any experience with any of it. I didn’t have any co morbidities at all before my surgery but I knew they would be in my future simply because I was obese. Being generally in good health bedside surgery puts you in a stronger place for your surgery & recovery so a plus. The very small portions are only in the beginning during the staged return to eating. As you progress you are able to eat more until you are eating what is a recommended & appropriate serving size. Not those large servings that are two, three or more times we been acclimatised to think of as normal but the portion size we should be eating. Doesn’t mean you won’t ever eat your favourite foods ever again either. In time you work out how much you can eat of that food & how often. Or you may make changes to the ingredients or the cooking method to make it a healthier & more nutritious choice. We talk about having to do the head work while we are losing. This is the most important step. Working out the why, what, when you eat & changing your relationship with food. Reflecting on what drives you to eat & the food choices you make so you can mange those cravings & work out a way of eating for the future that is sustainable, doesn’t restrict or limit you & allows you to enjoy your life as you want. This is the difference between the surgery and every other diet I’ve been on (& I was almost 54 when I had the surgery & had been on a lot of diets). I’ve never been able to lose weight & maintain it for any length of time like I have after the surgery. Yes, I work on it every day but it doesn’t mean I don’t or can’t enjoy my life or miss out on anything. A lot of it is routine & I look at it as not being on a continuous diet (so many negative connotations) but this is just my way of eating. Like how people who have food allergies or may be vegan or vegetarian eat & the food choices they make. Ensure you have access to a supportive therapist you can call on if needed & a helpful dietician who listens. This isn’t something you can really do completely on your own. Best decision I ever made. All the best whatever you choose to do.

Hi Joe! My surgery is in 4 days. I am 5'6" and at my highest weight, I was 250 pounds, which gave me a BMI of 40.3. Since starting the nutrition program and pre-op liquid diet, I am down to 228 pounds, so a BMI of 36.8. I have high blood pressure, prediabetes, and high cholesterol. Like you, I've dieted countless times. In fact, I was enrolled in the nonsurgical program at my hospital for 7 years, starting when I was 42. I found it relatively easy to lose up to about 15% of my total body weight, around 40 lbs, by counting calories, exercising religiously, and not letting my guard down for a minute. After that, I would stall. Then the weight would creep back up. My doctor would prescribe meds (including Wegovy for a while, but it's too expensive for longterm use for me), and I'd lose 10 pounds. Then I would stall, followed by regain. Or the nutritionist would suggest a new approach, and I would lose a few pounds again, followed by regain. A little more each time. After 7 years of trying, I was back to my highest weight ever. I feel like I wasted a whole lot of time with nothing to show for it. And now I'm nearly 50. My blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol all have gotten worse. My feet hurt. My joints ache. I feel older than I am, and I don't want to be old before my time. I know from reading the latest studies in weight loss science that my chance of long term success in reaching and maintaining a healthy weight without the metabolic reset of bariatric surgery is around 5%. I'm fortunate because I've seen my brother go through sleeve surgery 15 years ago. He lost a huge amount of weight (about half his body weight) and though he has regained a fair amount of that, it's nowhere near where he used to be. His appetite is now what I would call the smaller side of normal. Nobody looks at him having dinner and would guess he had surgery. So I know that the most drastic parts of this (like a liquid diet!) are phases you have to get through to get somewhere better. I feel nervous, too. I've never had surgery. I worry about complications. I'm hardly ever sick, so I sometimes think what if I'm trading decent health for problems? But realistically, problems are in my future. I've seen it in countless family members. The writing is on the wall. And the surgery is very safe. So for me, the risk is worth it. I've tried on my own long enough to know it isn't going to happen for me without this. And a BMI of 40 might not be as big as some people, but it's big enough to rob me of good health in my future. I really hope this helps at least give you some things to think about to help you make your decision. Wishing you all the best!

I'm scheduled for sleeve surgery in three days, and I'm experiencing serious cold feet. I'm a 44-year-old male, 5'9" tall, weighing 270 pounds. I've struggled with yo-yo dieting for over 21 years, with my highest weight being 280 pounds and my lowest 198 pounds. I've had success with intermittent fasting and restricted calorie intake, but I've regained the weight. I suffer from mild sleep apnea, which causes heavy snoring and comes with its challenges. Thankfully, I don't have any other health problems, and I take medication that contributes to weight gain, though I doubt they'd make me fatter the 270 pounds than I am now; they just make it harder to lose weight. I'm feeling uncertain about the necessity of the surgery since I'm not extremely heavy and overall healthy. I'm also worried about only being able to eat small quantities in one sitting, and the idea of changing my body scares me. Yet Im also excited to get this option available

If you don't already have it, the Baritastic app is pretty handy. So far, I'm only tracking food (well, liquids) and my weight, but there's more fun stuff, too. The bariatric nurse at the hospital recommended it during my pre-op appointment.

The lactose in the shakes can cause people to poop badly. There is something to take to help with lactose intolerance but I dont know what it would be called in the US. This might be something to ask at your meeting. There is also another preop diet to follow for those who are lactose intolerant. But that would normally be suggested by the dietician. Not sure why it wasnt suggested for you. Again another question for the meeting. I was not allowed fruit in my preop. If you have IBS you may find that certain fruits/foods may not agree with your tummy. Its all trial and error to find out what the culprits are that are affecting you. Fruit/vegies that have a high seed/fiber content were a no no for me before my RNY. Kiwi fruit, Zucchini, stone fruit, grapes etc are a bit of a problem but after you have the bypass you may find that you have the opposite problem and these fruits/vegies will help things to move along. It is all a bit of a learning curve. If you were to go an do it on your own these are issues that you would have to face anyway with having IBS so there no point is ditching the op at this stage. It is not part of their remit to even say "well if you cant handle it you may become malnourished". This statement smacks of shaming. It is their job to educate you in navigating it all. The RNY job is to make our bodies less capable of absorbing nutrients/calories from the food. This process is called malabsorption. This is the reason that you will be taking bariatric vitamins for the rest or your life. You will require blood tests on a yearly basis for the rest of your life to check that your body is being given the correct amount nutrients and head off any long term issues. Eating well and taking care of your body is something to focus on. I have been listening to the podcasts of The Bari Chronicles. You may find the Vitamin episode helpful. https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/the-bari-chronicles/episodes/Multivitamins-Nutrition-For-Weight-Loss-Surgery-e2eduqv (Also available on apple podcasts. I hope it all goes well at the meeting.

Stick to your diet plan, make sure you change up any workouts you're doing to "confuse" your body and work parts you normally might not, only weigh yourself once a week at most, and really take stock of how you feel and your Non Scale Victories. Get lots of fluids in. I'm very close to my goal, as well, and I'm in the same boat as you. It's annoying, but if we stay consistent, we'll push past it and get there. What surgery did you have? What was your starting weight?

I am new to this forum, but not new to the experiences. I had gatric band in 2006 and have had huge success (140lb loss and size 26 to 8/10). I am now the smallest weight and size I have ever been since the age of 12! I had a upper arm lift and vertical thigh lift in 2015. Thrilled with the arm lift, not as please with my thighs. I was less than thrilled with the aftercare from my previous surgery, so I will not return to him. I'm 48 yo and I've never had kids and I am ready to have my breasts done (and possibly tummy tuck). I had a consult with a surgeon in my area and didn't really have a connection with her. She determined a breast lift and implant is needed to acheive the look I am wanting, which I pretty much knew. I'm looking for 2 things... (1) Surgeon reccomendations (I'm willing to travel to Florida or throughout New England)/NorthEast). I've been looking on RealSelf, but I cannot seem to filter by breast lift, weightloss, and fat transfer to find a surgeon. (2) Input/experience from those who either went with a small implant (275cc) or have fat transfer, or just a lift. Im currently a 36C and would like to stay a C cup following the lift. Thank you in advance! It's so great to read from so many willing to share their experiences. I am happy to share mine as well.

I'm feelin' you too. I'm over 5 years out from surgery and have gained back 40 lbs. over the past 2 years. It seems like it just keeps creeping up on me. But I definitely know why it's happening. I've been allowing those bad habits sneak back in and now I'm struggling to get back on track. I appreciate SomeBigGuy's suggestions, though, and will give those a try! LMR422, how are you doing so far with it?

TORe is a relatively recent revision for RNY. Essentially, they go in through your mouth and esophagus and stitch your pouch and the opening to your pouch back into the tight little basket It was when you first got gastric bypass. I’m looking into it as I was very successful for 20 years, but regained most of my weight in the last three from life, stress and menopause. Has anyone had an experience with this?

You’ve just had pretty major surgery, your body is in recovery mode, stressed & you’re not eating much, so yes your labs will be a little screwy for a while. You want to be in Ketosis to burn fat so this is a good thing. High B12 could be you don’t need as many supplements. Like do you take additional B12 as well as your multis? Increased bilirubin levels are also common with weight loss. Ketosis & weight loss is hard on your liver (all the fat it’s trying to process out of your body). It will settle eventually. Probably better to discuss these results with your surgeon & their team though as they are more knowledgeable about what to expect after surgery while you are losing. In saying that, my GP used to run labs between my surgeon’s requirements (so I was getting them done every month or two). She was tracking & monitoring only so if anything unusual popped up we could be proactive. And they were sent to my surgeon & his colleague as well so they saw the results too. Bonus was my GP was a medical school friend of my surgeon’s colleague.

Stick to your plan. Don’t stress your body more by making more changes. Stalls are when your body takes stock of your current needs & readjusts things like digestive hormones, etc. The stall will break when your body is ready to move forward again. Also, your weight loss slows so much as you near your final weight (set point) it almost does feel like stalling. Consequently shifting the last pounds can be a b**ch. it’s because you’re eating much to what you’ll need to eat to maintain. Oh, & if you do cut your calories &/or increase your activity to lose more you’ll always have to eat less than you are now & do more to maintain the lower weight. Don’t give up yet though. You can keep losing vey slowly for months. I lost another 10kg over 12 months after reaching my goal.

I can't use my weight as an excuse not to do things now. I miss the days when no one would ask me climb a ladder or do anything that requires physical activity (not really) haha. My foot size is smaller now so I can't wear many of my nice shoes. Time to buy new ones. I used to wear size 11 and now between 9.5 and 10

I'm curious what they told you to expect in terms of weight loss, as I've heard revisions for that purpose don't necessarily produce large weight loss (but do help with issues like GERD). I'm afraid I don't know much about gastric bypass and IBS. That's quite a bit of fruit and veg they have you eating preop. I wish you luck, though, and hope you can get answers to the questions you have!

Yes, that's what happened, my hands were cold and they just came off and I was like "Ummm...well then." 😂 Yes, I might do that with the stones, good suggestion! The ring set is relatively new, I had been holding out on buying a new set for when I lost weight (you know how that goes) but after the whole cancer thing I decided to stop holding off on things I really want. So we bought the rings. Then a year later I decided to do bariatric surgery. LOL Go figure... But I adore the stone, it is a lovely aquamarine solitaire and the rings were custom made. So I'll be thinking on what to do with it all... If your rings are loose by themselves you may be able to use the ring snuggies that wrap around the band to make them fit better on your hand until you resize them. They worked great for me until the size difference became too big!

Never heard of it. Hope you get answers. You have done an amazing job and so close to your goal weight. Congrats on that!

Saw my GP yesterday and happy to say I was taken off almost all my meds @10 1/2 months post-op. One of my biggest goals met along with 100+ weight loss. I never imagined it possible a couple years ago. I thought I was destined to die from being morbidly obese and from kidney failure from all the meds I've been on for so many years. My bloodwork was perfect with no red flags or abnormal readings. With my hiatal hernia repaired I can breathe again, and exercise is a pleasure instead of an I'm out of breath nightmare. My next goal is to get my BMI into the 20's. I wish much success for all of you. Keep at it. Don't give up. If you work the program it will work for you too!! {{hugs}}

My hands are getting smaller!! Specifically, my fingers. I've had chubby little hands since I was 14 and my autoimmune disease showed up. When I was 200 lbs last time I was still an 8 1/2 on my ring finger in US sizing. Yesterday I finally took off my wedding rings when I noticed that even with the ring snuggies they are spinning around on my finger and threatening to come off. So I decided to measure them. I had gotten up to a US size 9. Now my ring finger measures as a US size 7!!! Never in my life have I ever wore a 7 in rings except maybe when I was 12?? 😂 I cannot get over how differently our bodies lose weight with these surgeries. I have to find a substitute ring to wear now because at this rate I'll be a US size 5 when I'm at goal! LOL I never thought I might have to sell my wedding rings because they can't be resized due to the difference being too much! This is so fascinating...

High B12 is common after surgery. Mine is always over 1000. In fact, I know vets who swear they feel better if theirs is over 1000. The only time my clinic ever said anything about my high B12 level was when it went over 2000 a few years back. And even then, they just suggested I cut back a bit on my supplement. Otherwise, it's met with a shrug. weird liver numbers are also pretty common after surgery. Rapid weight loss is hard on livers. My liver numbers didn't settle down until I was a year (or maybe more) out...but they did eventually stabilize (i.e., in the normal range). P.S. those hemoglobin and MCHC levels are so close to normal that I wouldn't worry about them. Your doctor or surgeon will let you know if they're in issue, but I'm guessing they're probably fine.

My band size keeps changing every few weeks! Bras for big boobs are expensive. I'm sure the boobs won't be big for long at this rate but still, it is a funny problem to have. I have no clue why my body has decided that my bra band area is the best place to lose weight post op. 🤣