Search the Community

This is exactly how I used to think about dieting. I was punishing myself for gaining weight. I was missing out on my favourite foods or on what others may be eating when socialising. ‘Diet’ had so many negative connotations to me. So I don’t use the word any more. This is simply the way I eat. It took a while to change my thinking but it did/does help a lot. There are foods I simply don’t eat or eat very rarely now that I loved to eat before. Do I miss them? Not really. Do I feel I‘m missing out? Nope. You may find it easier to make small changes to your eating & food choices instead of jumping into a full ‘diet’. Small wins are still wins. Change one or two things each week like reduce your portion sizes & increase your fluid intake (64ozs). Increase your protein intake. Stretch out the times between your snacking, or reduce how many snacks you have each day. And so on until you have adopted the recommendations from your surgeon/dietician. And be honest about your struggles with them & tell them what you are doing to incorporate their weight loss plan. They may have other suggestions on what you can do too. All the best.

Thank you both for the great info. I'm still taking things really slow (I had issues at the 3 week mark and had to get IV fluids). I'm still struggling on getting my proteins and water but it's slowly getting better. I just want to make sure I'm doing things correctly. I see my doctor this week for my 6 wk post-op so I'm sure they'll have some additional info for me.

It gets better. I'm on day 6, tomorrow day 7 of a two-week pre-op full liquid diet. I was feeling pretty good by day 4 myself and honestly the last two days I have not been hungry at all.

I know most folks here can relate - I'm well over a year out and these last 10lbs to my "real" goal are just killing me. I jump back on the bandwagon for a week or so and lose 2-3 lbs and then gain them back for no apparent reason (other than hormones and such) which of course puts me in a mood to just give up and go back to normal maintenance... then again, lose/gain the same 2-3 lbs over the next few weeks. Particularly when everyone is commenting on how great you look and "WOW, you are killing it, you look smaller every time I see you." No dammit - I want to lose at least another 10-20 lbs... I know what I need to do, just can't seem to get in the right headspace for more than a week or two.

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)

Hi November 21 guys!!!! Exactly 2 years to the day since my sleeve so I need to post something to mark the date. I've lost exactly half my body weight since my surgery. I can't believe that - way beyond what I ever expected and I know it's just the luck of the draw but I feel so blessed to be in this position. The figures tickle me, LOL. My maintenance calorie intake has settled around 1500. I don't think I'll ever be able to exceed that without regaining. That's fine - a small price to pay. I still track absolutely everything I eat and I think I always will. I can chug about 7 or 8 swallows of a drink (strangely this is the thing that bothered me most NOT to be able to do over the last 2 years). I am running 2 or 3 times a week. Short distances but my aim when I started this process was to get back to that so - win. Please could you share your experiences of the last 2 years? Good or bad.

I really love your thoughtful reply. I'm definitely eating too fast. But the info you just gave will definitely encourage me to slow the heck down! At 6 weeks post-op, I don't think I should be eating as much volume per meal as I am. I'm doing about 1/2 cup each meal. I'm going to stop that immediately. I'll do 1/4-1/3 cup, as you suggest, and then just wait. I probably won't feel hungry after the wait, and I'll be better off for it. Thank you!

When I went to my 6 week post op consultation ,I happened to sit in close proximity to a woman who had also had the Gastric Sleeve .She thought she looked wonderful - I thought she looked terminally ill ."I'm nearly at my wedding weight " she said proudly .I smiled and said nothing .She was the opposite of how I wanted to look .Her hair was thin and lack lustre , her skin sagging and dull .I listened in horror as she explained she was still trying to lose weight .I thought she summed up the very look I never wanted to have .Her slimness did nothing to inspire me .So I am 3 months post op .I can now walk freely , breathe better ,and I fit into my favourite jeans .I am not at my ideal BMI but if I don't lose further weight ,I'll be content .I eat more healthily and do more . So I suppose that is my story and I'm happy with it .

Courtnay, I am so sorry you had such an awful experience... I had some nurses that really irritated me and treated me poorly but an orderly found me crying because I was in so much pain and stressed by the nurse and so she reported the nurse, which was uncomfortable in the moment because I had to talk to a bunch of people, but really made them treat me decently the rest of the time! You can definitely have the bypass later once the sleeve takes off some weight. This happens sometimes with DS surgeries where they end up doing the sleeve first and then the intestinal part later once some abdominal fat is lost. Livers can be really tricky. Mine was still "plump" during the surgery, I just happen to have an extremely skilled surgeon who was able to work around it, but he told me sometimes that isn't possible. And I really want to say this, what happened to you IS NOT YOUR FAULT!! I'd find a therapist that deals with trauma, specifically medical trauma if possible, to help process this experience. Later down the road if your weight loss isn't stable you can consider converting to bypass or DS, you have options now with the sleeve! I know it isn't what you wanted, and I don't understand why the doctor didn't just close you up and try again later if you felt so strongly about it, but hindsight is always 20/20 and the good thing is that the sleeve DOES take off weight and that weight loss will help you feel a lot better. You should be on a good PPI with your heartburn, twice a day if needed. Omeprazole was always useless to me, so I use pantaprazole in the morning and Dexilant in the evening, both are prescription and they work wonderfully, no food triggers at all. You don't have to suffer with heartburn and reflux, they really should sort your meds out for that. It will make nausea and eating a lot easier. Oh and a few weeks out my digestive system was very testy. I had IBS before and it was grumpy post surgery. Fairlife shakes make me run to the bathroom for days for some reason! I like the Syntrax Nectar fruit flavors, they are like juice. Seeq is also good, it is like juice too, they are water based protein drinks, not creamy milk ones, and my digestive system handles them both better. You can get samples of Syntrax from Bariatric Pal and samples of Seeq from their website. Sending you lots of love... I hope things ease up soon and those hormones calm down, they are really rough after surgery! ❤️

I'm feeling good! A little nervous but that's to be expected. I've finished one week of my pre-op diet, two weeks to go!! I will say though, if you are prone at all to leg cramps and have to do a pre-op diet, make sure you have an electrolyte mix on hand. I got wicked charlie horse cramps in both legs about 48 hours into my diet. Thankfully I had anticipated this and had an electrolyte powder that's low carb on hand and as long as I drink some every night the potassium and magnesium in it have held the cramps at bay!

Listen to your doctor and give your body time to heal. Just because you can't feel everything that has been done inside doesn't mean it is healed yet. I've found this out the hard way with other abdominal surgeries. Their time limits on activity and sex are there for a reason, they are to keep you safe and keep you from accidentally rupturing your sutures or causing a hernia right after surgery. I know it is hard to wait when you feel good, but you only get one chance to heal from this surgery!! Make it a good healing!! ETA: I'm one week post op and sitting with my feet up instead of putting the groceries away! All that bending and lifting is not for me right now. I could do it if I wanted to but I'd rather give my body every opportunity to rest and heal right now, so I'm staying put. LOL

What do you mean by not always having real protein? What are your current protein sources? I was eating lamb, steak, chicken, pork, fish from solid foods so week 7.

What do you mean by not always having real protein? What are your current protein sources? I was eating lamb, steak, chicken, pork, fish from solid foods so week 7.

What do you mean by not always having real protein? What are your current protein sources? I was eating lamb, steak, chicken, pork, fish from solid foods so week 7.

strictures happen to about 5% of bypass patients. I had one, too (actually, two - one at four weeks out and one at eight weeks out. I was told they are super rare after the third month). As you said, easy fix. I felt better immediately!

I had my taste buds change about 4 days ago (I'm 2 weeks post op). It's awful!! I can't taste sweet spices at the moment, like cinnamon and nutmeg. Perfect time of year to not be able to taste those things! LOL Also a number of savory things don't taste right anymore... I hear this taste change happens a lot in the 1st year. As for your family, you are going to have to set some firm boundaries there. I know it is hard to do with family, but if you don't set them now it'll only get worse. Just tell her you've had enough and you'll return to it later, then put your plate away... Tell her you get labwork to ensure you are getting enough nutrients, she doesn't need to worry. Your body is different now and your food needs are different. And that what you need most from her is SUPPORT in this new way of life, not encouragement to overeat. Parents have a hard time seeing their children as responsible adults who can care for their own bodies and lives. Sometimes we need to (kindly) remind them we've got this.

Don't bring a ton of stuff to the hospital, you'll spend most of your time trying to drink and walking. No need for a ton of entertainment items or toiletries. I spent two days (9/25-9/27) in the hospital and the only thing I grabbed out of my bag was my phone charger. Invest in a vitamin/pill organizer. I tried taking my pills straight out of the medicine bottles and was constantly forgetting. The organizer keeps everything in one place and is a better visual reminder. Ask for a binder in the hospital, it helps immensely when changing positions. I wore mine religiously for the first two weeks.

Try to keep food moist by adding sauces & gravies. In the beginning I ate a lot of mince dishes like savoury mince & bolognese (without the pasta) & some casseroles/stews which are more on the sloppy side & are more easily eaten & digested. In time this won’t be as necessary but dry or coarse food may still cause you some issues at times. In time you will find you can drink with or closer to when you eat. This is an individual thing though - some can, some can’t. But, yes, in the first months while you’re eating so little it is vital you properly digest your foods & get every nutrient. Drinking while eating washes the food through your digestive system more quickly. This video helps explain it: In the beginning I used to sip on my shakes & soups for ages. I’d dilute them to thin them out & because they count as liquids you are helping to ensure you meet your fluid goals too. I didn’t have more serves than I was supposed to & this is an important consideration. There will be times when you have to make the best choice possible from the food you have available. For example you could have eaten the broth & not the martza balls in the deli soup or strained it when you got home. If you’re cooking you choose the ingredients you add so you could just not put potatoes or rice in the chicken soup you made. In the beginning this can be even more difficult because of your limitations but there are ways around it. Taking food with you to eat is often the easiest. Remember too that as well as all the sutures & staples holding your tummy together, a lot of nerves were cut so messages aren’t getting through or aren’t getting through in the same way so you may not know if you are actually doing damage. It takes about 8 weeks to fully heal so it is important to stick to your plan in regards to food choices, portion sizes, etc. It’s there to protect your healing tummy & support your recovery. This may seem a lot & it does take time to work it all out. We all slip or not make the best choice at some time. It’s all part of the learning. You just have to not make it a regular thing. You’ve got this. All the best.

Hi everyone! I'm brand new here, and just found the forum. I am scheduled for my VSG on October 19th, so next week. I'm already on my two-week pre-op diet. Excited and scared and also ready to go! I'm 5'2 and weigh 200lbs. I have Type 2 diabetes and High Blood Pressure and I'm ready to change my health for the better.

My vision doesn't go white with the hypoglycemia. I get severe brain fog, shaking, heart racing and sweating. Unfortunately, it has a tendency to sneak up on me. If I don't eat every 2 hours - whether I'm hungry or not - I'll end end up crashing. They want me to stick to 60g of protein per day. My nutritionist wants me to stay away from protein shakes, but I do drink them on occasion. They help get something into me quickly, when my blood sugar drops. I'd say I probably drink one a week. I'm having an issue with my diaphragm that is keeping me from doing any exercise that works my core. We're working on fixing that, now. Once I'm able to start lifting weights, my protein intake won't be as much of a problem. It's so weird how different doctors have such wildly different plans.

Welcome everyone!! We're getting closer! I'm in my third week of my pre-op diet, 5th day of all shakes. It's not so bad as long as you stay hydrated and use water flavoring packets! My surgery is still Nov. 1st, I'm a little scared they will cancel now that I've been on this diet for so long. 😂 I've started using the antibacterial soap they require we shower with for days before surgery. We even have to sleep on fresh sheets the night before! These surgery requirements make sense but also make me laugh sometimes... LOL

How exciting! Scary! Exciting! Lol Congratulations and the very best wishes. I’m joining the Losers Bench Monday!! New week, new beginning!

Congratulations @shooterinthesix! I was down 33 at my post op last week, just since the surgery date and it does feel kinda crazy!

I pooped at the hospital, day after surgery. Right now it is 2-3 days between, I am 9 weeks post op. If I hit 3 days I start taking colace or dulcolax.

Do not go by the fitbit, I used to have one and it counts your resting metabolic rate, meaning the 3k calories its showing you burned include your breathing and your bodily functions not your calories burned by exercise. It also will randomly record an exercise or activity if you move your hand too much etc. I was advised by my dietician to increase my carb and protein since I was doing HIIT or strength training 4-5 times a week, so now I try to do 80g of protein with a shake. I do for carbs sweet potato, quinoa, protein bread or wrap, oatmeal (fiber) and cream of wheat. I tend to weight more or less the same when I train hard since there is water retention for muscle repair, so make sure you are drinking above the recommended 64oz to avoid this. It also helps to look at your weight total per month, not by week or weigh in when you are training, and to start taking your measurements to help see how your body is changing.