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Another thing to remember is a lot of nerves were cut during your surgery so signals to tell you things like you’ve had enough, eaten too much or doing damage just aren’t getting through or aren’t getting through clearly. You getting sick is a sign you’ve over done it. As I always say all because you can doesn’t mean you should & at the moment you really shouldn’t. It takes 8 weeks or more to fully heal & the staged return to eating is in place to protect your tummy & all those sutures & staples holding it together, & support your healing. It’s also important to follow portion size recommendations. Plans & requirements are different but double check how much you are allowed for a meal. I was allowed 1/4 - 1/3 cup from purée slowly increasing to about a cup at 6 months but that was my plan your’s could be different. You’re right about the head hunger trying to convince you you’re still hungry. You can always tell if it’s head hunger if you’re wanting to eat a specific food, flavour or texture. The desire for solid food or anything you can actually chew is a head hunger that is challenging for many from the liquid stage. Plus not being able to have something always makes you want it more. Recognising it for what it really is a big part of doing that head work & learning it to manage it Many of us find distraction helps with head hunger. Read, craft, play a game, phone a friend or family member, go for a walk, check social media or this forum, etc. Sipping a warm drink can be helpful too. (I could count green or decaf tea in my fluid intake. It may be worth double checking if you can count your decaf tea.) All the best.

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

I just made an account to answer this. I am two and a half weeks post op from gastric sleeve. I too have PCOS. I am 37 years old and my highest weight was 330. At surgery and after the pre-op diet I was down to 305. I'm currently 289 today. My comorbidities were hypertension, high cholesterol, newly onset GERD, and insulin resistance. (never made it into the diabetic range). I watched a ton of videos on youtube after I decided to have surgery. I watched the testimony of patients ranging from a few weeks out to twenty years. I also listened to bariatric surgeons discuss the process, pitfalls, and successes. My PCP had been talking to me about this surgery for three years and at first I declined because of all the people I knew of that experienced full weight regain. I only decided to have the surgery when I had determined that not being able to eat as much and what I want all the time was a small price to pay for my health and quality of life. Some things to consider between sleeve and bypass. Myth: Bypass patients are much more successful at keeping weight off. The sleeve is a newer surgery and was discovered as the first part of the duodenal switch. The 5 and 10 year outcomes for weight loss and regain tend to be around the same with the bypass slightly better. The sleeve is less punishing and is easier to 'stretch' out with poor eating habits but it can be done with the bypass as well. Overall, a change in relationship with food is a higher predictor of sustained weight loss than either surgery. The Switch is the surgery with the most rapid weight loss and sustained loss without regain but it is a heavily malabsorption procedure, carries the most risk of post operative complications, including dehydration and vitamin deficiency and requires a very strict regiment to sustain a healthy lifestyle. It can also result in some interesting bowel changes. Too rapid weightloss can also result in gallstones. Quite a few bariatric patients have had gallbladder removal after surgery. It should be noted that actual operative complications are low for all surgeries but not zero. Another controversial topic of sleeve vs gastric bypass is that the bypass is better for GERD. There are contradicting experiences for both surgeries. One thing is for sure you can certainly still have GERD with the bypass, although it seems revision from sleeve to bypass has worked to cure GERD for a lot of people. My GERD was very mild before surgery and so far I have not experienced any after. I am on a daily dosage of omerprazole but that's nothing new to what I was taking before. My triggers for GERD were fried foods and canned tomatoes. I know to stay away from that now. Keep in mind that the bypass is reversible in most cases while the sleeve is not. Also, the sleeve can be converted into a bypass or switch if complications arise or you fail to lose or sustain a meaningful amount of weight. There are very few options for bypass and switch if regain occurs outside of dietary changes, exercise and will power. Bypass patients can no longer consume NSAIDS, steriods, and possibly other medications after surgery for life. Switch and Bypass patients are more likely to experience dumping syndrome but Sleeve patients can also suffer from it. Constipation, diarrhea, and blockages and strictures can occur with all surgeries. Very minimal risk for long term serious complications. I have read quite a few posts that spoke about pain after surgery with the sleeve. Speaking for myself the only pain I experienced was gas after surgery from the surgeon introducing it into my abdomen during the procedure. I was given liquid pain meds but never took any, and no otc pains meds either. I felt discomfort from the surgery port sites for maybe a week. After that I was good. My surgery team has stayed on top of any side effects that could occur after surgery and I was very lucky. They gave me medicine for nausea before surgery, put an anti-nausea patch behind my ear also before surgery and discharged me with anti-nausea dissolveable meds. I took the meds for about a week though I never experience sickness and still luckily have not. I was a water drinker before surgery and can still easily drink water without any pain or nausea. Cold or hot temps don't seem to upset my stomach though some have reported either can cause pain. I am on the puree stage and things are going well. Really, experiences vary. I'd choose a doctor carefully and if possible speak to prior patients to get their experience pre and post op. I was lucky my Aunt had the procedure done the year before and could report on her experience. We chose the same surgeon. He had a 98% success rate. So after this long-winded wall of text I choose a sleeve because: I wanted a slower and steady weight loss. I did not want to re-route my insides. Had a co-worker suffer a bad bowel blockage with a bypass and had to have part of his intestine cut out. I did not want restrictions on not being able to take certain pain or treatment options should they become necessary in the future. I did not feel I have a dependent relationship with food. I ate too much of it. And sometimes the wrong things because they were easy and accessible. But I also enjoyed a lot of healthy foods. My kryptonite has always been lack of exercise and even skipping meals so that I overate when I did eat. I'm from the finish your plate generation, but I did not and do not rely on food for comfort, bordem or pleasure. Therefore, I felt and still feel that the more punishing procedures were not right for me.

it's actually very common to have a rebound gain of 10-20 lbs during year 3. There was a dietitian once on Unjury's online support group who said in her clinic, they don't even consider anything less that 15% of the person's lowest weight to be a regain (so in your case, they wouldn't consider anything under a 21.6 lb gain as "regain" - it's just more-or-less expected). Granted, you're up more than that, but only by about 10 lbs. You can always lose weight again by getting back on track. If it's really tough to do that (and it can be..), maybe just make one or two small changes at a time until they become a habit. Start with something not super challenging - like logging your food intake - or taking a walk 3x a week. Or whatever...just anything that seems achievable. It all adds up in the end... A lot of people have dealt with this, so you're definitely not alone.

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

Funny you mention that. I have seen a few people have gotten sick just before surgery. well, as far as the ones that passed neither of them was due to surgery complications. One was a drug overdose. She had so many issues after surgery and had to have a couple of emergency surgery to repair sutures. That however was on her! She did not follow the plan and less than three weeks post op she was eating Doritos. Well one c got lodged in her suture line and they had to repair it. She also over ate regular food and got some kind of blockage. the second one that passed she actually committed suicide. Now that MIGHT have been surgery related because your body goes through so many hormonal changes as well. So that is something that if you start feeling regret know that it is Normal but find a therapist to talk it out with. my other friend he had issues during surgery and they ended up putting him in a medical coma for two weeks. He was a large guy like me, well he was bigger by like 60 pound at around 450. I don’t know what all happened but I know he was having bleeding issues. But he was ok in a couple weeks and he was doing well the last time I talked to him. my other friend I think she just gave up and has gone back to “normal “ for her. So she is gaining weight. I do know I have to work on my mental health and stay disciplined after. And it shows how stuff we can control and some stuff we can’t. We just have to go into this knowing it is only a tool not a cure. so since you have kids I would really say make sure you have a therapist. It will be rough for a few weeks after surgery I’m sure. everything else is out of our hands. I know it is cliche but I follow the AA motto. Accept the things we can not change, Change the things we can, And may God grant us the wisdom to know the difference. all I’m in charge of is what food I put in my body and how much I exercise. Everything else is out of my hands.

Thank everyone for posting their experiences keep them coming it really does help to get it out there sometimes! Thank fully i only dealt with the headaches for days 1-2 then poof! I usually get migraines very easy so I thought initially i was going to be in hell for this diet but i guess because everything is balanced? My body is handling it well. I am officially 1 week away today and omg i am so tired of this lol. Ive been getting a sore throat since i started this thread ( may be totally unrelated but thought id mention it ). I miss food like i mean real food ( not processed things etc ) im actually looking forward to the moment im on mushed food after surgery lol i will treat that baby food like gold! The one thing that is saving me is the broth goodness just having that bit of flavor is a like saver, plus i was a soup person before this so seeing broth on the list was a gift. I made one of my sons ramen and another a grilled cheese yesterday let me tell you my stomach did flips i literally ran from the them after i sat their food on the table! Thankfully feeding my 1 year old is easier when shes eating baby food, i dont have to worry about the aromas etc. But when she eats food food her dad has to do it. Its one thing to make the food which is getting harder for me. But to sit there and handle it watching someone else eat it noooo buddy i cant do it at this stage.

I’m also feeling like crap, I’m 1 week post op and I just pushed the limits. Like I made minestrone soup I’m on phase 2 and I couldn’t stop myself from eating some of the veggies. Then this evening I ate a couple French fries and a nibble of the hamburger meat on my husbands burger. I don’t understand what is wrong with me. Like why can’t I just follow the rules. I’m so scared I’ve ruined everything and I’m going to fail. 😭

Congratulations! Hitting the 100 lbs mark feels good. I hit the same goal this week as well. You got this!

Hi everyone, I am new to this, or any group. I had the gastric surgery in Feb 2006, weighing nearly 430 lbs. in one year, I lost 210 lbs. I gained about 50 lbs back the following year traveling every week for work. But I maintained the 160 lb loss for many years. Little by little I gained another 50 lbs back, but was still 100 lbs less. About a year ago, 17 years post surgery I began having many many problems with dumping, nausea, dehydrating and severe diarrhea. As a result I have lost about 90 of the 100 lbs I had gained. I have seen gastric doctors, Bariatric doctors and all types of specialists and nobody can find anything wrong, yet I continue not to be able to eat. Has anyone on here ever had these issues and if so, what did you do? Thank you!

A few months ago I posted about whether it made sense to remove my gallbladder after a scan detected a 2 cm stone. I want having any pain but was warned of the proposition of getting caught in an excruciating situation and landing in ER. Well, I just had it removed last week- quick (comparatively) day surgery without overnight hospitalization. My gastric bypass surgeon performed the removal and I’m basically at home healing. I’m now on day 5 of recovery not taking pain meds. Everything has been pretty good EXCEPT a severe knife-like stabbing pain around one of the incisions. I have my follow up with the doctor in 3 days but walking or standing and moving my arms requires me to sit down after 5 minutes bc the pain is so bad. I wasn’t expecting this so am hoping it’s just the no meds plus incision recovery where doc had to cut through muscle. Any confirmation to comfort my great fear I’ll never be able to walk in comfort again? I was walking with such pleasure up to 8 miles a day sometimes and now I can barely cross my living room without sharp pain. Thanks…

Had my surgery Dec 1st! All went as planned and I think I’ve been pretty lucky. I have my 2 week checkup tomorrow with my doctor. So far I’ve only thrown up once and haven’t had any dumping or gas pains or anything. The only thing is a couple days this week I felt a little dizzy and weak, I think maybe dehydration or not getting enough calories. But I’m working on it and trying to hit my fluid goals a little higher each day. I’m very sick of protein shakes lol. I have to do 3 weeks of full liquids so definitely looking forward to soft foods Dec 22. I just tried cream of chicken soup (98% fat free, strained) tonight and it was such a treat to break things up.

Oh I know right!! I have friends that have had the surgery and a couple had some nightmare experiences. One even ended up in a 2 week drug induced coma 😱😱😱. That is a rare occurrence though. But I have seen the best and worse of everything from their experiences. The truth is through all of them I have learned what NOT to do lol. I did talk with my dr about the cookbook that I got and he kind of fluffed it off and told me just follow what they gave me. I verified that strawberries and ricotta cheese is out for the first two weeks even if blended in a smoothie. So that rules out two of my cook book recipes. But that is fine. I can do the others. I also told him I got powdered peanut butter for smoothies and he said too much fat but I looked at the label and no it isn’t. 😡😡 another thing that irritates me about him. i think i am just being sensitive about things because i am looking for reasons to not go through with this. I think mostly because I am worried about my level of aftercare with him and his office.

Do you have a dietician? If so ask them for more specifics. We all need the amount of information & depth of detail that makes us feel comfortable & confident about we have to do. We have different needs (food preferences like vegetarian or vegan, food sensitivities or allergies, general health, current weight, age, mobility, etc.) which is why I suggest you get the specifics from your dietician for what will best complement your needs. Your surgeon may have requirements too. As some general advice, start tracking your food (lots of tracking apps available like My Fitness Pal). Increase your fluids to 2L/64ozs. Reduce or drop any carbonated drinks. Reduce snacking. Reduce the highly or ultra processed foods in your current diet. Increase your protein & vegetable intake - look at around 4oz protein & a good cup of vegetables for a meal. Modify some of your cooking styles like use an air fryer or bake not pan fry. Swap simple carbs for complex whole or multi grains. Reduce the number of sugary/sweet foods you eat. You don’t have to do all these things at once, unless you have a tight time frame but certainly start introducing a couple of these things each week or two until you get more definite information from your dietician. PS If you don’t have a dietician yet, ask for a referral to one from your team.

Do you have a surgery date? I'm not starting a liquid diet until I get my surgery date, then I'll be on it for two weeks. A liquid diet would be nothing but liquid no solids. I guess I'm confused when you mention chicken & veggies unless you mean some kind of broth or soup. I've been on a diet with guidelines set by a dietician that I've been on since October. I should be getting a surgery date in January where I'll take a class on a liquid diet, then I'll get on nothing but liquids for two weeks leading up to the surgery date.

I had the diet you have for two weeks, then the third week was shakes only. I don't recall how high my one meal's calories were, but I recall my surgeon saying that the general idea was to cut you down to 1,200 calories or a bit below, by the end of your daily total. So if you are around 800-1200 with your daily total you are probably fine. If your surgeon didn't give you a specific calorie count they probably don't care. I didn't weigh my food I just eyeballed the portions because I've been measuring my portions for years.

We all lose at our own rate. There isn’t a date by which you must lose your weight. I always felt if my dietician & surgeon were happy I should be happy too. As @catwoman7 said the last 20lbs (about 10kg) can be the hardest & take the longest to lose. While I reached my goal at about 6 months I kept losing for another 11 months & lost another 11kgs (which was the weight my body wanted me to be at - my new set point). The last months I was losing grams each week. So, yes not everyone reaches their goal, but it may not be over for you yet. You are still losing. Remember a loss of 1-2lbs (0.5-1kg) a week is considered a healthy rate of loss. We just had a medically supervised kick start in the beginning. Congrats on your weight loss so far.

Oh yes, the letdown or after effect of all the craziness. All the fear and anxiety about the surgery, the relief of getting back to normal and feeling more normal again, can feel like depression, or just wading through quicksand, teary and easily emotional. You have been on a such a roller coaster for a while now and it's just stopped and returned to the station. You are likely just letting down your guard because everything is okay and now the emotions that stayed under the surface are coming up. Honor your body for the journey it has taken and survived, honor your self for being so resilient and steadfast, pamper yourself and do all the little things that feel cherishing like extra sleep, foot baths with spa treatment, comfy clothes and cheerful movies, music that makes you feel good, books that make you think. Anything that feels good, and just give it time and know that it will ease once you've felt the feelings and let them go. If it lasts more than 2 weeks or gets worse, or severe, please contact your team and let them know, they will likely have resources for you, in fact, no reason to wait if your team has a psychologist you feel comfortable with, go ahead and talk to them. It would likely be very helpful. Take care.

Plans can be different but the best advice is always to follow your surgeon’s plan (& never what someone on Facebook or TikTok advises who often post just for attention & shock value). The staged return to eating solid food is there to support your healing & protect your healing tummy. Remember all those staples & sutures holding your digestive system together. (Read there can be up to 10 inches of sutures - imagine that on your arm or leg 😱.) There are also many nerves cut so you can’t really tell if you are doing damage or not. It takes about 8 weeks for your tummy to fully heal post surgery. Yes the shakes can be hideous, I made myself have one a day then drank soups - comsummes, broths, creams (thin them with additional water or milk as you need & ensure they have no solid matter). Bone broths are excellent too. Blend yoghurt with milk to make a drink or make your own protein shakes using protein powder. It’s only two weeks & you’ll get through it. Many of us actually find purée stage more challenging from a texture & flavour perspective. Protein water is an option too. Gotta work at getting at least close to your daily protein goals.

I am now about 8 months post surgery (and stalled for a couple of months). Here are my stats. Age 54; height 5’3. Starting weight 210; weight lost prior to surgery (on liver shrinking diet) - 20 lbs. weight loss first three months 25 lbs. weight 8 months out - 160.

Hi Everyone! My surgery is on 12/28. I'm on Day 3 of the Pre-Op diet. Some advice I'd give is that if you are a coffee/tea/soda drinker to try to stop drinking it before the pre-op diet because the caffeine withdrawals on top of the calorie deficit are rough. Glad I stopped drinking caffeine a couple of weeks ago so it's less difficult.

There is a lot of conflicting information out there so I'm not going to argue. Even different surgeons say different things. I will say that all bariatric surgeries altogether have a high chance of reversing diabetes. I have not heard of anyone that still has type two diabetes after the sleeve unless they regained their weight. Maybe the 'punishing' term rang bad to you, but what I meant was consequences for carb dumping and overeating are usually more severe for DS and Bypass patients. So maybe punishing was not the correct term. I'm sorry you saw it as being negative for those with bypass/switch but that was not my intention. But I do view throwing up, foaming at the mouth, dumping, and general malaise as punishing. No one enters into these surgeries to feel that way but keeping bad habits does result in this outcome and I wouldn't call it a reward. It is a definitely and incentive for many not to eat badly. I have even read on here and seen in other places where people felt they need something really restrictive to keep their diet in check. It happens with sleeves (not the foaming bit) too but you can usually get away with more. This is why the success rate with sleeve patients are slightly less. Also you don't have to defend your choice in surgery to me or explain it. I am not saying any surgery is better or worse than the other. All surgery comes with risks and downsides. The original poster asked for the NEGATIVES and the positives for the different surgeries and I just told her what my surgeon, research, patients of all three surgeries have said, and some other bariatric surgeons I follow. Also I never said sleeve patients couldn't suffer from vitamin deficiencies. I said it is more common (easier) with switch and bypass, which it is. Sleeve is not a malabsorption surgery. Vitamin deficiency also occurs in non-bariatric patients. A lot of people are suffering from vitamin d deficiency right now who have never had surgery. I can point you to a bariatric surgeon who doesn't even believe that sleeve patients need as high as potency and 'bariatric vitamins' like bypass and switch patients but they set the standard and the industry is going with it. Also, weightloss is more rapid for switch and bypass generally which is why gallbladder problems is more common but as always it doesn't HAVE to occur. Which I never indicated this was a one shoe fits all for anybody. It's a risk. At the end of the day everyone must make their own decision on what is right for them. Be it sleeve, switch, or bypass. I commend anyone taking charge of their life and going through this difficult process to come out the other side happier and healthier.

Here’s my story. On 4/25/22 I weighed 281.8. A few months later at a Dr appointment for reflux the topic of having endoscopic gastroplasty was mentioned and eventually the surgery was scheduled for September 2022. I reported for the surgery and was going thru the pre-op process when our son called to let us know that he tested positive for COVID. The doctor advised us to reschedule. The next opening was a couple of months off, so it was rescheduled. I reported for the rescheduled surgery but after at check-in we were greeted with the news that the ventilation system for the operating room was down and we would have to reschedule again. This pushed us into 2023 and required navigating a new health insurance provider. Finally On 1/24/2023 I had my surgery and by 5/1/2023 my weight had dropped to 224 then “stabilizing” at around 235. 2023 had lots of ups and downs: - 4/25/2022 – weight 281.8 – bmi 38.2 - 1/23/2023 my last coke have gone over 1 year without a coke. Was typically drinking 1 – 2 20 oz bottles per day of regular coke. - 1/24/2023 - surgery. - 3/31/23 got laid off from work. - 4/6/2023 – robotic hernia surgery - 4/26/2023 – kidney stones - 5/1/2023 – weight 224 – bmi 30.3 - 7/11/2023 – procedure to evaluate hiatal herniaI - 1/18/2024 - COVID. - 1/25/2024 - big disagreement with boss and resigned. - 1/29/2024 - received ontingent job offer but significant pay cut. Job won't start for a month so I have time to think abiut job or seek other opportunities. - 1/30/2024 - weight 234.4 – bmi 31.7 Things to work on: - Eat better and exercise long term. I’ll do ok eating and exercising for a week or two and then I start stress eating, not feeling like walking. - Eating – there are times when I don’t feel hungry but want something to eat. - Regularity – I’ve always been irregular and at times have IBS with uncontrollable BM and then other times go days ( 3 – 4 days) between BM. - I have a goal of going on a couple of long bike rides 10 -15 miles but need to start getting in shape for them. - Decide to retire or find new job. - I rarely feel full. I think that I’m eating less but feel hungry or feel like eating even if I’m not hungry. Looking for advice on healthy things to eat between meals and limiting appetite here is a list of things that I like to eat . - - I like Kind Dark Chocolate Cherry Cashew bars (170 cal, 22 g carbs and 6 g protein) - addicting - Inspire Square Protein Wafers by Bariatric Eating (200 cal, 13 g Carbs 15 g protein) - addicting - BariatricPal Protein Shake or Pudding – Chocolate (6 gm carbs 15 gm protein) - Lunches - Dole Sunflower Salad Kit - 350 calaries (40 gm carbs and 9 gm protein)

I am meeting with my surgeon in a week to hopefully talk about a surgery date. The surgeon wanted me to lose 10-15 pound prior to this appointment, and I haven't been able to! I have major anxiety about this and am worried he will choose to not move forward. Has anyone gone through something similar?

Ok so I'm 2.5 weeks out and other than this speed bump I feel great!!! One of my incision sites... On right side ( not where they removed stomach) is killing me!!! Getting up from bed/chair sends a shooting pain! It's not really superficial it's def more deep! Also happens if I move certain ways! Hard to shave legs or bend down period! As I sit here on couch writing this its just a constant burning pain! Incisions all look great especially this one! Not infected or hot! Anyone else experience this??? Sent from my iPhone using VST