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Amazing work! My six month was November 1st. I'm down 91 lbs (171). I too changed my goal from 160 down to 150. I'm in a US size 10, which I'm to the point that I need to wash them so they'll fit. I'm expecting to be in an 8 in a few weeks. The loose skin is a minimum, which I'm so happy about. All in all everything this going beautifully and I couldn't be happier.

I stopped taking pain meds after week 1. I still had pain week 2 but it was bearable. I had gastric bypass and hernia repair so YMMV. The pain didn't go away completely for weeks but was more like twinges depending on what I was doing and how I moved. Nothing that needed continued pain meds . GL

Congrats on soft foods. I started soft one week ago. I finally feel like I can eat real food again. I also had no problems eating anything, but things have changed a little on soft foods. Scrambled eggs make me nauseous. And for the first time since surgery, I can finally recognize when I’m full. It actually feels more like full used to feel like pre-op. I think the semi solid textures make all the difference. But enjoy the pleasure of eating real food again. You’ve earned it.

Hello all! Newbie here! I had gastric bypass surgery on August 8. Since then, I have not been able to meet my fluid or protein requirements, or even get close honestly. My Dr and dietitian just say "well, you have to." I'm still feeling weak and tired and just want to feel better! Does anyone have any tips, tricks, recipes (I'm on stage 3) that might help?

I would say it’s a combination of fluid retention from the Ringer’s Lactate or Saline if you received an I.V, any meds you were given and the stress from illness itself. I know it’s easier said than done but try to hold off weighing yourself for a while. 10 weeks post op is still fairly early on and you have many more months of progress to look forward to. Good luck ❤️

I was every three months from my surgeon but my GP was also getting one in between for the first year & then was happy to review the surgeon’s requests. At two years it was just the three months from my surgeon’s colleague who does his follow ups. When I reached three years it became every 6 months. I didn’t & don’t mind getting so many as it’s been informative to track my levels but also allowed the doctors to pick up fluctuation trends (like my vitamin D dropping in winter) & my protein malabsorption issue which began at 2 years after my gall was removed. I expect I’ll always have regular tests (1 or 2 a year) because of the protein issue.

Honestly I think this is one of the reasons therapy is so helpful when going through this experience. Even if you don't go every week, having a person who has both perspective and understands the ins and outs of abusive relationships and how they echo through us for years after can be immensely healing. You are changing a LOT and it is normal to have feels about that. And he will have feels about it too, because he loves you and as you change, he will have to change in some ways too, to accommodate and appreciate the ever-changing being that is you! My partner doesn't care what weight I am. I gained 100 lbs since we were first married. We've been together 17 years. They look at me with just as much, if not more, desire than they did when I was young and smaller, which is hard to wrap my head around! They have always encouraged me to dress in ways that feel good. They prefer curvy women, always have. I have been worried that as I lose weight they might lose some of that attraction to me because in time, I will be smaller than they've ever known me, smaller than I've ever been in my adult life! But they assure me that while they aesthetically like the look of curvy women, they LOVE me in all my forms and my health and wellbeing is more important than anything else and no matter how I change, I will still be beautiful. If they loved me at 200 and they loved me at 320, they will love me at 170 or wherever I land. I've done enough work in therapy with the abuse I dealt with in the past to be able to trust what they say. But it still gets to me sometimes... Today I noticed my boobs have become visibly flatter. This is really hard for me because I LOVE MY BOOBS. 🤣 I have always been booby and I like it! Last year I found out I carry the CHEK2 mutation and with my cancer history combined with it I have a much higher risk of developing breast cancer than I'd like. The specialist I saw advised I consider an elective mastectomy after my weight loss stabilizes. I understand the logic, but I've already had to bid goodbye to my reproductive organs thanks to cancer, I wasn't expecting to have to consider saying goodbye to my boobs too. So I was standing in the bathroom today having the feels about my flat boobs and my partner came in so I pointed out the change. They admitted they could see the difference but very stubbornly said "These are my favorite boobs in the whole world. They are the best boobs ever, no matter what size they are." FFS, really?? Am I not supposed to cry at that?? They said something similar when we talked about a mastectomy. I feel very lucky to have a partner that can abide all the changes that I've gone through in this life and still look at me through the eyes of love. I hope I succeed at giving that back to them...

I remember the first time I realized I have food noise. I was given Saxenda and several weeks into it as I increased the dose, I noticed that the mental pressure to eat was gone... It was like that voice that often brought up food throughout the day was suddenly silenced. I never even realized it was there before, it was such a familiar thing in my mental landscape it didn't occur to me that not everyone has that! GLP-1 medications in general are known for this side effect. Meds for ADHD like Vyvanse and anti-depressants like Wellbutrin are also known to help with this. When I went off my Ozempic before surgery, the voice came back with a vengeance!! I didn't have much of a appetite pre-op, but man did it come back post-op... For the first month I was sooo hungry. And the voice was SO loud. Thankfully I have a lot of techniques to manage inner voices, due to a decade of somatic based trauma therapy. I think without that, the process would have been so much harder for me. One thing that helps me the most is distinguishing that part as a PART of me, not ALL of me. So instead of "I'm hungry!" it is "I'm noticing a part of me feels hungry." This may seem like a weird distinction, but research has shown when we do this with emotions "A part of me is angry." vs "I'm angry!") it helps us create a little space between us and the feeling and helps us remember that there are other parts of us present and not all of them are caught up in the emotion of the moment. Remembering there are parts of ourselves that are like Switzerland helps us navigate internally when voices get loud. So I apply this to head hunger too. I identify the part of me that is hungry. I ask it what it needs. I validate its experience. And then I offer to just sit with it for a while and be present with the feeling of hunger. Then I let it know when we are next going to eat and orient that part to thinking of what we might want to eat at the coming meal. I'm sure this approach won't work for everyone, it is just what I tend to do. I notice when I hear the parts of me that feel things and give them some presence, they often start to soften, or have something important to tell me about what we are experiencing in that moment. For instance, I have severe ADHD. I get easily distracted and forget to eat. Post op it has been a struggle. That voice is there to remind me to tend my body. It may be louder than most people have it, but it still serves a purpose and when I can give it a job it tends to fight with me less. I eat every 3 hours. Without exception. If I go past 3 hours the voices get really loud and I feel sick, probably my blood sugar dropping... So I eat every 3 hours. But I eat within a 30 minute window, then I'm done. I don't snack in between. If my body tells me we need more food before the 3 hour mark I stop to reflect why this might be. If it is because I am bored, I find something to redirect the energy to and wait. If it is due to a workout or being sick and burning through energy faster. I may add in an earlier meal. Seeing my body as something to partner with, as something I have a relationship with that I want to be a GOOD relationship, seems to help me remember to treat my inner voices with kindness and compassion instead of judgment and irritation. If someone you were closely connected to constantly ignored you or snapped at you, over time you'd either get louder or go away. That is what I did to my body. So now when I hear the voice it is a reminder that this is something I'm working to relate to in a healthier way, so I choose a reaction to it like I'd choose a reaction to a friend reminding me to eat or drink water. Sorry for the long ramble, it just happens to be something I've been reflecting deeply on over the past 6 months!! ETA: I do take Wellbutrin for depression. I have never noticed it affecting that internal voice, but some notice an impact. If you are struggling deeply with this voice, you might consider a medication that can support you in this. I have a good friend who has ADHD and noticed when she started Vyvanse it significantly helped with the food noise and binging behavior. It isn't a good solution for everyone, but it is a good solution for some. ❤️

Hello everyone! Hi, I'm new here and I'm scheduled to undergo the VSG procedure on November 6th. Currently, on week 2 of my pre-op diet and it's going very well so far. I'm beyond excited but growing more and more nervous every day. Wishing much success to you all!

It was strict, technically more strict than they post op diet, but it's doable and mine was only for 2 weeks. My scans showed significant shrinkage compared to a month ago, so I guess it worked. They said it made the procedure much easier. Only about 45 minutes. Mine was 2 protein shakes per day, 4-6oz of lean meat or fish, and leafy green veggies. No starchy ones like potatoes, carrots, or rice. I could have all the pickles I want but unfortunately I don't like them lol. The first few days when I was struggling, I was able to add a serving of low/nonfat plain Greek yogurt to my dishes for something savory. I believe it's 17g of protein, very little fat, and single digit carbs.

I'm sure you'll be fine, sleeve patients seem to bounce back pretty quickly unless they have complications. I've seen some return after a week off on this forum... ETA: Just no lifting heavy things!! You don't want to mess up those pretty stitches the surgeon worked so hard on... LOL

Have you tried something like the unflavored protein from Genepro? You can add it to anything you are eating or drinking and it will boost your protein count, so you can alternate between protein and non-protein drinks. 3 weeks of liquids post op?? And I thought my 3 week pre-op diet sucked. LOL Good luck to you, I will have 2 weeks of liquids which is pretty standard for the more progressive bariatric practices. I bet that extra week of liquids will help your suture lines heal suuuper strong!! Are they letting you have sugar free popsicles and sugar free jello? That helps break up the all liquids a bit.

Yep, it’s gas in a totally different part of your body. The surgical gas is pumped into your abdominal cavity so outside your lungs. The remaining gas post surgery rises up behind your lungs pressing in nerves causing shoulder pain & general discomfort. The surgical gas is absorbed into your lungs, attaches to water molecules & is breathed out. It takes about a week to be fully expelled from your body so is a very slow process. Using your CPAP machine won’t affect you or the side effects of the surgical gas. Using your machine will help you though with your recovery by ensuring you’re sleeping well & not straining your heart. And slow, deep breathing actually helps expel the gas faster too.

you'll probably just be doing protein drinks and shakes the first two weeks, so I wouldn't worry about food yet. I would just get enough protein shakes/drinks for the first few days, because for many of us, our tastes change after surgery. Something you liked before surgery you might not like afterwards (e.g., I couldn't deal with sweet-flavored shakes for awhile after surgery - my sense of taste became more intense, and sweetness became intolerably sweet, at least for the first month or so. I lived on Unjury's chicken broth flavored shakes for quite awhile). So I wouldn't buy a huge tub of protein powder, for example, at this point, since if you end up hating it after surgery, that's a lot of money down the drain. Maybe just pick up (or order) a few individual packets of protein powder - or if you can have (and want) the ready-to-drink variety, just get enough bottles for the first few days.

I had the same experience as NickelChip on the GLP-1 meds. Saxenda I lost about 15 lbs on, when insurance decided I didn't lose that fast enough they stopped covering it. I gained the 15 back plus another 10 almost immediately. I then went on Victoza, no weight loss. I did Ozempic for two years, also no weight loss. And on both of them I actually gained weight until my highest weight of 320lbs. They did help my A1C levels but that was it. They all had unpleasant side effects and cost a ton. I'm 7 weeks out from a duodenal switch. I've lost 26 lbs since the surgery and while there have been tough moments I'm so glad I decided to go with surgery instead of trying more medication... I've lost 40 lbs since my highest weight! I've never lost that much weight with anything, ever, not even with keto plus the meds. Usually if I have issues with a doctor's office not returning my calls or responding to my messages, I eventually go in there and talk to the office staff in person and wait until they send a nurse out to deal with my issue. 😂 It is quite effective! I'm super nice about it, but still... I had a LOT of scheduling issues with my surgery and in the middle of it they lost their scheduler and I had to deal with some really rude staff on the phone. But it all got sorted out in the end! Hang in there!!

Okay, I set up a YouTube like just now, I have not posted but the name is BariatricStart2Finish, It's so new, I lost where my channel link went 😂😂, but the user name is BariatricStart2Finish. I do have an Instagram, it is currently set to private and I have not uploaded any photos, but I plan to. The Instagram account is BariatricStart2Finish it is currently private, but it does have a black and white picture of me for the thumbnail. If you are interested in following please do. Warning, it will be a bit of a slow start (it already has been,lol) I am in my final few weeks of school (I returned to school on top of all of this as an elder millennial). I will follow you under one of the above-mentioned accounts depending on the platform. The Instagram pic is the same as this profile pic, the YouTube on is me laughing next to a fish tank

I am 10 weeks out from surgery and felt a lot of pain for those first 4 weeks. Could not bend over to tie my shoes, felt like something was pulling in one area on my left side, dull aches everywhere in my abdomen. A giant, flat ice pack was my friend... the kind that you would find in a physical therapist's office. I have a couple on had for an unrelated knee issue. Here is where I got mine: https://www.optp.com/Chattanooga-ColPac Looks like there are some on Amazon, too. I was fortunate to be able to lay around for those first couple of weeks at least. Truly hope you feel better soon!

It's November 1st! Somehow, December feels simultaneously like it is just around the corner and also a million years away. I had my air cut today and scheduled the next appointment, and I had to move it closer by a week than I usually would because otherwise it would be the day of my surgery! So now I'll have no gray roots for my surgery

I am one week out and a total of 23 lbs down already since my preop diet begain (17 days) I can't believe I've already lost 23 lbs...

I was getting ready to back into the office for the first time since my surgery (3wks post op and a week and a half of Covid). I’ve been living in pjs and lounge pants (comfy bra when needed-right ladies?). I was shocked at how loose my jeans were. But I visited my storage room and pulled out my “skinny clothes” -let’s be honest- we all have a full range of sizes squirreled away. I really want to save money, especially now that the medical bills are finally making themselves known- so I don’t want to buy anything new. But I’m looking at these clothes and thinking this isn’t me… this isn’t me… but I’m also not sure who the real me is, yet. I don’t feel like me anymore… I know there’s more change to come, so having an identity crisis this soon is crazy right?

I am working on my short term disability paperwork so that I can be out for the full 2 weeks with a little bit of pay.. Is anybody else doing this... Also anybody else buying there holiday PJ's a size smaller? I am in the middle of ordering our family Christmas pj's and gambling with ordering them a size smaller...

Well I guess I will go first and see if the July Peeps will update. As of Today I’m down 45 lbs and have 37 lbs to go. Lately I stalled for about a week at 223 lbs, but got through that last night with an insane workout day. Seems harder and harder to lose a single pound. Yesterday burned 4700 calories and ate around 800-1000 calories. Recovery went extremely fast for me thankfully. Hopefully 🤞 I won’t need yesterdays effort to continue to lose…. Lol 😂

Hi all! I had gastric sleeve on November 6th and am just now getting the required liquids in. It has been kind of rough. I didn’t have a pre-op diet so I guess I wasn’t as prepared as I thought I was. Only thing that I wanted to eat was crushed ice but I’ve finally moved to protein water, protein shakes and broth. I’m so glad I found this app. I had to go get IV fluids and a steroid today and will repeat Monday at my week check in appointment. Anyway, just saying hi! Good luck to all!

Hello @ms.sss I actually really do appreciate your response. You are pretty accurate in your assessment, lol, I definitely have my moments but for the most part I tend to be pretty agreeable and sometimes that bites me. i have taken A little breather after yesterday’s meeting with my surgeons’ PA and waking up to a stranger taking their time to say I should too makes me realize I’m not just being overly anxious. Thank you!! I did make a call just now to see if the only other surgeon I would consider does this procedure and he does not So I guess the most obvious options at this point are to just go with the bypass instead or to ask ALOT of questions and pose some really uncomfortable ones about the surgein and that team that I may not like the answers too. Regardless I realize I need to slow this bus down a great deal and really think this one through. My thoughts so far are, when the surgeon sits down with me and my list of questions IF I feel better that HE has done his research and both he and I are confident he has this, then I just need to worry about the aftercare. I need to be bold and require that he gives a way to get HIM, post op if I have any urgent concerns. And I need to know who he turns to if he doesn’t know the answer. I know for my first post op appointment I will see him but maybe I can see him ever so often past that. Especially if I am feeling lost. The PA said yesterday that I may get him or the surgeon if I called with questions immediately post op and he claimed he wouldn’t just give me an answer to give me an answer but it sorta felt like what he did for a half hour with my questions. I am just going to have to go out of my comfort zone a bit and bluntly say that I don’t feel like the rest of the team is prepared to handle my care with this particular procedure. I must get the point across that the PA just can’t answer all my questions at this point and I wouldn’t feel confident in his advice about any post op questions. Or, Perhaps he could just make the PA do the research now? I mean he is practically a doctor. They know how to learn things. I just don’t think he has tried with this procedure yet. He did seem to know alot about the DS, Just not this modified version. I can ask to meet with him again after he has had a chance to prepare and see how I feel with him. My gut has gotten me this far?? As far as the dietician goes. I think I just need a list of what macros he wants me to stick to and to know what type of carbs really count and I think I can take it from there at least witb the help of this community. I also think I can shop around for a different dietician once I have the requirements If I feel like I even need one. I’m hoping that the dietician gets the exact requirements from the surgeon in preparation for our meeting in two weeks. If not I will need to ask him that when I meet with him as well. I guess the skinny about the surgeon, though is that I am going to have to pump the brakes a bit and put on my big girl panties. I need to have some awkward conversations and just mentally prepare myself that the result could be that I don’t get exactly what I thought I wanted.

Getting excited for those of you pre-op approaching your dates!! For those in the pre-op diet, it seems so slow but you WILL get through it! Keep going!! For those post surgery, how are things feeling now?? I'm officially one week post op today! I continue to have the weird stomach cramping when I try to drink anything other than water. I'm hitting my fluid goals every day but of course not my protein since my stomach won't have it! I'm still pretty sore and napping in the afternoon. My incisions have decided they hate the surgical glue and today flared into a red rash so I sent a message to the surgeon, hopefully they can suggest something. I weighed myself today (I weigh only once a week) and according to my scale I am down 10 lbs from surgery day!! I freaked out, shrieked, weighed myself again, then went and tried the other scale which thinks I'm 7 lbs down. Either way I'm officially below 300!! I haven't been that way in years. I'm so, so excited. I was really worried this wasn't going to work for me because I only lost 6 lbs on the pre-op diet. I feel a little better now. LOL