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So it looks like your question was added in as a tag. 'I am 3 weeks post op and it is really hard to get in protein I was reaching out to see if there is any type of hacks on how to get it down I have the powder kind also can someone explain to me what will happen if I’m not getting enough protein in There are a variety of ways to get it down. Make it as is and break it down to half a shake twice a day. Make it more liquidy and sip on it throughout the day. Use unflavored protein powder and sprinkle it into other foods, such as broth or applesauce. Try protein water which is thinner and comes in a many fruity flavors so it's not just the milky stuff. You can also boost the protein in yogurt with adding protein powder. If you don't get in enough protein, you run the risk of losing muscle and not just fat. Losing muscle can also slow down weight loss. Also leaves you with less energy. Even though hair shedding is par for the course, having enough protein can lessen the shed and support healthy regrowth. It can be difficult to meet the protein goals in the beginning, just try to focus on getting better day by day.

I rarely disagree with an opinion on here but on the point of exercise I do. Before surgery I was too disabled to exercise. Staying indoors during the covid years had added lots of weight on my carcass. [ it was a government decision to keep certain people with certain illnesses indoors ] I was too old and too heavy to even begin basic exercises. After surgery it took a lot of bravery on my part to start walking. Everything scared me after being indoors for 2 years. At about 8 months out and 100lbs down, walking became easier for me. The only exercise I do is cooking, cleaning, walking, shopping and volunteering in a charity shop for one day a week. So I have done zero exercise and lost 150+ lbs

Greetings, So as most people do from time to time - I fell off the wagon for about two weeks while on vacation and in the process of that, I noticed that I was able to eat more without any discomfort. I wasn't gorging on food like I did to gain the weight that I had, but I was able to handle bigger portions or that 3rd slice of pizza. I screwed up and I know that. I actually feel guilty, especially considering all the weight I have lost. It was just the first time where it was harder to stay focused as I wanted to enjoy my vacation. I know next time I have to plan better. Now I am aware that the stomach does stretch again, but it is my understanding that it takes years for that to happen per what I have read from doctors - which is why some people who have bariatric surgery tend to gain some or all the weight again years later if they haven't maintained their better eating habits. I am only 5 months out from the sleeve, so I was just curious why I was able to eat more than usual at this early point. I am back on track now, but just wanted to ensure that this is normal - that the stomach can stretch temporarily in the short term and things should be back to normal now that I am eating smaller portions again/proper foods. That I haven't already stretched out my stomach a bit. I would appreciate any feedback here. Thanks, HM

I've found different foods to process differently (bypass +hiatal hernia repair, June 6th of this year). My wife made a Bolognese sauce (ground turkey) that went down like it was meant to, and caused no gastro-intestinal distress. @Penguin733, fwiw, I suspect that at 7 weeks, I was just getting into real food. I got religion when I got stopped up, and got the "foamies." Talking to surgeon, and folks here, I was told to measure or weigh. I now know better what I can eat, both in terms of volume and nature of the the food. (FWIW, I had a nice small loin lamb chop tonight and et the whole thing!). Give yourself some time and also recognize that some foods are harder to digest than others; if you look at the surgical procedure that you underwent, you'll understand that there is a stronger filter in place than before; that can help you lose weight. In my case, it also reduced the amount of gastric acid blowing back up my esophagus, which was the driver for me. I've also lost a massive amount of weight in a short time. I respect what this operation can do.

I just went in Tuesday, Weight was 290 and was told needed to lose 15lbs to get to the next step. Once I get there I call to do the next step which I assume is the psychological part of it. So I downloaded MyFitnessPal app and am sticking to 1600 calories, making sure I hit protein and staying with the range of fats, carbs is impossible I ate broccoli and cauliflower and my carbs went over by a ton! So I think no one has gotten fat by eating veggies so I am not going to stress out about that. I weighed myself this morning and I dropped 4.5lbs. I'm sure that is the salt and water weight, but 15lbs seems very attainable. I will start incorporating walks next week since my energy is going up. I have a goal of doing this surgery during my kids winter break so my mindset is pure focus! We can do this!! I am more than happy to be an accountability partner if you need one!

i would be wary of any dietician that prescribes the same maintenance caloric amounts to all their patients without taking individual size, weight and metabolic rates into account (among a multitude of other factors!) i would be especially be wary of any dietician, when asked for a reason for his/her prescription, answers with "i don't know". as with all things, listen to what you are told and advised, but also make informed decisions on how to deal with your body based on observations of its responses to stimuli (i.e., caloric intake in this case). the 2000 calorie suggestion is an AVERAGE and does not apply to all. STATISTICALLY, only a small very very small percentage of the population actually requires exactly 2000 calories. the vast majority of the population fall above and below 2000 cals. thats MATH people. with that said, i am a 5yr post op, 5'2", 51 yr old, currently 117 lb female that maintains at about 1800 cals a day...and has been doing so for about 2+ years. (i used to maintain at 2300+ cals a day, but i was exercising like a fiend those days so it made sense). everyone will have varying maintenance calorie levels...if u can figure out yours and adjust as necessary, you are golden. Good Luck! ❤️

I'm just wondering if anyone knows of any shows on Hulu or Netflix on Bariatric Patient's, Weight Loss Surgery, etc? The ones I've heard of are: Hungry for Change Fat Sick & Nearly Dead The Big Ward (watched) Pre-Op patients undergoing process of surgery. Obesity: The Post Mortem (watched) Dissection of obese person and how it affects the body. Does anybody have any other suggestions?

Hey all. I'm about 4.5 months out from being sleeved at 50 (now 51)and doing really well. I'm down 32.7 kilograms (72 pounds). My BMI is down from 67 to just under 53 and I've lost 21% of my total weight. I'm tolerating all foods fine although rice does sit a bit h3avy. I rarely have it so not a big deal. Hitting protein goals with ease, need to be better with fluids. I can't wait to see where this journey continues to take me!

same, same. as i got heavier, not only did my boots no longer close comfortably (or even close at all!) but i weighted out if my skis so much so that only the mid point of the ski would really be touching the ground! i was too embarrassed to get new skis and boots and a single experience of trying to get rental boots to close (unsuccessfully!) resulted in me giving up skiing for years. i still haven't gone skiing since i lost the weight, but now i am going to go into the depths of my basement, find my boots and see if i can fit into them again! have YOU hit the slopes since shrinking?

Sometimes I do. Other times I struggle to remember I'm not 421 pounds anymore. I should be in a size 16 pants, but my legs have so much loose skin that I can't go lower than a 18/20, which makes me always have to pull my pants up because they are too big around my waist. My husband made me keep 1 of my size 30 outfits and one of my size 10 rings (I'm in a size 7 now) and when I kind of start spiraling and seeing every flaw and not seeing my progress, he makes me (try to) put them on. When they don't fit at all, he says "know why? Because you aren't a size 30 anymore. You don't wear a size 10 ring anymore. You've lost more weight than our daughter even weighs." and it brings me out of it. Other days, I'm so ecstatically proud and happy with everything and I have zero doubts about where I am and how far I've come. It's really crazy how your head can mess with you and make you unsee 140+ pounds of weight loss.

weight gain is really common if you let bad habits sneak back in. Happens to a lot of people. Most people don't gain everything back, but it's not uncommon to gain 30, 40, or 50 lbs. You can lose it again, but it's definitely more challenging than the first time around!

I would ask the surgeon, too. I had my plastic surgeries in my late 50s and early 60s so I was long past my reproductive years, but I was told not to gain more than 10-15 lbs after surgery because it could affect my results. So...I'm not sure what to tell you.

I'm so happy I found this topic, it's a relief! Before finding this topic I just assumed it was my body/metabolism/stomach (I refuse to call it a "pouch" - It's still my stomach) adjusting to pureed/soft food after 5 weeks of liquid. I'm glad to see my instincts were right and the stall is normal! I do understand why people worry though, to go through all this and then not see any movement on the scale the last 10 days after only being post op since August 21 can make anyone anxious. You can know the science behind it, but, its still anxiety causing. Thank you everyone for your wisdom and personal experiences on your weight loss journeys!

Everything others have said, and I don't think you need to worry too much about survival on little food. Most WLS patients lose about 65-70% of their excess weight, and it's rare to lose 100%. Also, many have to work very hard not to regain. So fortunately, we do survive very well [emoji3059]. Appetite increases as well as volume capacity as time goes.

I'm no longer diabetic. My A1c is now 5.5 and my glucose tends to stay between 107-112 when checked. I'm no longer on any of the meds I was on because all of my numbers are normal. For a sugar substitute, I use monk fruit sweetener. I can't stand anything else. I hate the gross taste of everything else. Sugar free foods are actually really good these days. I don't use veggie curls to substitute pasta. There are keto pasta noodles (and keto bread, which is really good) that I prefer. Normal calorie intake is 2000 calories. I would work on getting yours down to 1600 by surgery time. You will eat A LOT less than that after the surgery, but lowering your calories and carbs will help you drop the weight you need to qualify for the surgery. I would also work on getting your carbs down to 70-80 per day by surgery day. Again, you will be consuming a lot less than that after surgery, but getting them down now will help you later.

Not everyone experiences a bounce back regain. And not everyone experiences a larger regain. If it does happen there’s often a reason: complacency/&or bad habits returning, a too restrictive way of eating, lifestyle changes, medical/health issues, emotional issues, settling of your weight, … I had a regain of a good two kgs (about 5lbs) rather quickly a few months into my second year so earlier than the usual 3rd year. Didn’t gain any more. Wasn’t happy but was accepting it. Couldn’t really put my finger on why. No dietary changes, no activity changes during that time. But what I did have was a gall removal at 25 months which caused an protein absorption issue. Then almost at the three year mark we realised the gall removal also stopped me absorbing my HRT & caused other issues. Went from a tablet to a patch & slowly but surely I lost a good kilo of that regain over 6 months +/-. I’ve been sitting pretty stable again for about 6 months or so. I keep an eye on the scales, monitor my portions, watch my food choice & fingers crossed I continue to remain stable.

I'm on Rexulti for depression along with a few other things. It is an atypical antipsychotic. I haven't had surgery yet so I can't say how it affects weight loss but my psych feels it is pretty weight neutral so shouldn't be a problem. She said most of her patients lose the weight on their meds, it just takes a bit sometimes. I'm guessing some meds can slow the process if you know they are contributing to your weight already, it just depends on the individual, as with most things.

FORGIVE THE LENGTHY MESSAGE. NEED TO GIVE CONTEXT I am wondering if any one experienceD this my starting weight was 139kg before surgery on the 15th of January 2023 on day of surgery it was 131kg 2 weeks post-op i was stalled for 8weeks which was not a bother to me at the time i healed quite quickly with no complications and was moved to solids within 3 weeks by the dietitian too. between January and April i lost some weight down to 111kg Since april i have not lost anything. I have gained and lost 3-4 kg since April till date which is September 6th 2023 I do everything many people say on every platform which had never been a challenge namely Monitor what i eat: I eat between 88 - 1200 calories I have more protein than anything eggs, lean meat, chicken, fish, shrimps carbs are mostly bulgur wheat. which i have sparingly 2ce a month. Plantain i have daily to balance my protein intake but not as much as protein. I prob have more grams of protein a day and that includes protein water. I work out 4-5 days a week for up to 1:30 - 2:00 hours each day In April i worked out more 4 days a week 2ce a day 2day time cardio 1:30 hours night time strength training. no weights heavier than 25kg I take 2-3 liters of water throughout the day no compared to 3 months ago. Up to 1liter during my work out and the rest throughout the day. mostly sips. I do get hungry but try to drink water to quench or use the plantain (carb for the day) to satisfy myself i take my vitamins biotin and all recommended as well as powdered collagen Recent bloods shows everything within normal range. I am going into my 5th month and i am still 111kg Since April. My dietitian is numb on what is going on, the nurse recommended liquid collagen ( which makes no sense) and have said hormones.... but hormones cannot affect this 5months straight. I did bloods to check my thyroids and it showed elevated parathyroid (no idea what that means)..... not gotten an explanation as my vitamin levels and calcium levels are normal my nails are very soft and brittle and my hair falls like the weather ( only blessed to have a full head of hair but cant say it is helpful soon) No ...... the clothes i wore in April are still the same September. measurements are the same..... the only win i am getting from this is that my knee and ankle dont hurt as much when i workout. i dont burn out as i used to and i work out more than i used to before which was walking up to 50k-70ksteps a day. I have never been one who drank alcohol and haven't started post surgery. I have never been one who ate junk food like crisps, tacos, burgers. I have not been diagnosed diabetic nor with PCOS i noticed when i had no carbs in my diet i lost fast but when i introduced carbs as suggested by the dietitian everything came on hold I NEED SOME SIGN THAT I AM NOT IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE OR A LONG DREAM!!! Cos it feels pointless having done the surgery not to be an effective tool Anyone in a similar predicament before

This is interesting. It seems to me that maintenance for me right now has more to do with metabolic adjustment than straight CICO. I notice that no matter what/how I eat, my weight remains stable. That's not to say that I'm indulging in garbage food, eating large quantities, etc... but my weight doesn't seem to depend strictly on what I'm eating. It seems that my body has arrived at a set point that it's trying to maintain. My weight pre-op was also rock solid stable. No matter what I ate, I hovered around 235 for most of my adult life. I'm curious if the same dynamic will apply to this new weight.

You certainly need to get a second, and probably third, opinion to find out what's going on; they should be able to explain to you, in layman's terms, what your situation is and what the options are for treating it. That is usually a straightforward and insurable step here in the States, but I don't know what hoops you may have to jump through in the UK. It does sound like something's not right in what they did (which is why you want a second, impartial and uninvolved opinion,) as strictures are not common with sleeves that are done correctly; they are common and easily treated with an endoscopic dilation in and RNY, and that may work with a sleeve stricture, or may not depending on what caused it (usually a misshaping of the sleeve.) I did quite a bit of research on these topics a few years ago when they found a cancerous polyp in my stomach; fortunately it was very early and all treatable endoscopically, but all of these various options were discussed and researched. There are some Facebook groups specifically for patients with partial or total gastrectomies, which is what they are proposing for you. The most common approach here, and what it sounds like they are proposing for you, is a Billroth 2 gastrectomy, which has been around for about 140 years, and is the basis of the RNY gastric bypass, The main difference between a partial or total gastrectomy is whether they can use some of the remaining stomach to form an RNY like pouch (partial) or remove all of the stomach and attach the esophagus directly to a loop of intestine, or an additional roux limb as in the RNY, and form "stomach" pouch in the intestine where the esophagus is attached. So, going without the stomach is possible and entirely livable (there are several books on Amazon about "eating without a stomach" which go over what is basically a normal bariatric diet progression.) To the surgeons I was dealing with (at a major regional cancer center,) the total gastrectomy was a much bigger deal surgically and recovery wise than the partial, as attaching the esophagus directly into the intestine was a much touchier procedure with a more extended recovery and healing time (on a feeding tube for several months,) than going through even a small pouch of stomach tissue - something else to consider with whatever choice you have in surgeons (try to find one who has done a lot of these.) One of the things that stood out as fairly common amongst the Facebook group was problems with bile reflux, and you can see how that could easily happen by looking at the altered anatomy. The surgeon I was dealing with said that he did not experience those problems if he kept the various limbs within certain minimum lengths (which presumably some other surgeons didn't do in order to minimize malabsorption and weight loss,) so another point to consider in finding a surgeon who has some direct experience with these problems.

Though you may be an unhealthy weight, you still have to fuel your body with protein and vitamins for that size or you will lose muscle mass. Losing muscle mass is enough of an issue post surgery when you are super restricted so you don't want to induce it before the surgery does. Does that make sense? I have found some dieticians to be very erratic when t comes to what they advise you from meeting to meeting. I have no clue why. I'd ask her for a print out of what macros she advises you to be at and follow the percentages, aiming for over 100 grams of protein. This should keep you at a healthy balance give or take a few grams of protein. The sad truth is that many obese people are nutritionally deficient because we've restricted ourselves down to 1200 calories or lower which shuts down our metabolism. But we do it because we gain with anything more! Our bodies are rather broken metabolically. Don't stress yourself out. If you are losing at a steady rate and feel good with consistent energy and aren't starving between meals you have probably found a decent balance. As for the scale I have the same issue from place to place. It is so irritating. In the end go with the scale you will be weighed on for the insurance company (which is probably the surgeon's scale). Then weigh yourself in one consistent spot at home and calibrate your scale to match. This should get you in the right neighborhood...

I've used this forum so far to ask questions, and obviously, people who are trying to adjust figure out if their experience is "normal" or have some issue with the process, and are going to ask questions-- some posts/threads document the challenges to this "adjustment." I thought it might be valuable to lay out the positives. I don't much care how you got to the surgery point- whether by some unhealthy attachment to eating or anything else. But for whatever reasons we underwent surgery, I'll assume that the path we were on was not healthy and beyond that, our quality of life was compromised by weight. So, I'll say-- after 3 months, X weeks, I'm far more mobile. I can walk now, without feeling out of breath. I fit into clothes I couldn't-- I look and feel "better"- yeah, it is tricky to learn how to eat, and it seems like things changed (they did), but totally worth it in my estimation. I had gotten to the point where I was eating a FODMAP diet (to reduce gastric blow-back up my esophagus) and it was more limited in food choices than what I face now, post surgery. I'm not sure I could have done this with diet and exercise. I did that in 2010, went from 250 to 180 through several hours of exercise a day plus hardcore paleo. But now I'm older, and I really needed help. The surgery and low volume diet plus movement (which I could not do at a certain point-scary) has made a quantum change in my physical being, and given me a revitalized outlook on life.

I just turned 60 and am scheduled for VSG on October 2nd. My BMI is 40, so I'm expecting a slower rate of weight loss. Maybe I'll be surprised and will lose weight faster than I expect.

Congratulations and good luck on your surgery!!! As long as the scale is going down, it doesn't matter how quickly we lose the weight!

Weight loss can impact ring size, but it varies for each person. Some might need to resize their rings down a couple of sizes, while others might not need any adjustments at all. As for wedding rings, it's totally natural to worry about sizing changes. I wear a 6 1/2 as well, and I can understand the concern.