Search the Community

Hi all, can’t say how relieved I am in some ways to hear people are having the same challenges. Had the sleeve on 10/30 and while have lost 21kg / 46lba so far, if anything it’s getting a lot tougher. On one hand the extra energy and the ability to wear clothes several sizes smaller is an absolute win that genuinely has made me laugh out loud at times. Just really struggling with eating and drinking. Am only getting maybe 50% of the recommended water daily and even that’s a massive, massive fight. A cup of water can take 2 hours to drink or on days like today even longer. As for three small meals of soft food, I’d probably kill to manage that right now. A few spoons of protein yoghurt for breakfast and if am lucky a few spoons of puréed potato / fish / scrambled egg is about as much as I can manage (and most days I feel really uncomfortable after even that). Am taking my team, chowing everything extremely carefully but no joy. Per diet plan should be moving on from puréed food to soft food but after trying it for two days, looks like it’s a no go. Interestingly am not in the US (am in Poland these days) and here the approach was quite different. There was no specific pre-op diet at all which I found weird. That said, surgeon was incredible and the surgery itself went very well. I guess he felt confident enough shifting an enlarged liver (I have fatty liver disease anyway so maybe he thought that it may not help enough to make it worthwhile) Anyway, good luck all

Ya they said everything looked good other than Vitamin A and B12 deficiency and my protein levels where low. But I'm doing a repeat this week to check them and my liver counts since they were elevated.

Oh I pray for that will power!!! I have already set boundaries with my ex and told him I will not be going out to eat anymore and that I will be cooking my own meals so he needs to stop inviting me over for dinner! I do t know hat he is going to do now that he won’t be able to “control” me with food. I didn’t tell him about surgery just that I am working on slimfast meal plan. He is a negative about everything. I have been having all my “favorite foods” the last couple of weeks and I don’t know if it is the mindset change or what but I am finding them less enjoyable as before. I think it is because I’m just looking at them as food now and not so much craving them. I hope the will power lasts through and I plan on having sashimi and air fry asparagus for my 6 week meal! I planned it so that I can have something enjoyable to kick off my regular meal plan. 🤞🏻 here’s to positive vibes to you

So I am better prepared now! I completed the list of suggested items, I got my protein shakes for my preop weeks, got my water flavoring, and I got myself a two week starters kit from celebrate vitamins. It is a protein powder with the vitamins already included so at least that first week I won’t have to worry about everything. Then for the following week I got a vitamin starter kit that has what I will need. I figure by week three I will be better about getting things I need. I am feeling a bit better going into this whole thing now.

I agree with Arabesque, you need to follow your plan. You were given that plan for a reason. You may feel like you've healed, but nerves were cut during the surgery and it takes them awhile to regenerate. You could be doing damage if you progress in your diet too quickly. we've all had to move through a specific progression, about or exactly the same as the one you've been given. Yes it can be frustrating and seem agonizingly slow, but it's temporary and we've all survived it! You'll be able to eat more "normal" foods soon enough. and yes - you can thin your shakes out if they're too thick (I remember not liking the thickness, either). Just add some water to them. good luck and stick to it - the first few weeks can be tough, but again, they're just temporary.

Hey y’all, I had the sleeve surgery 2 years ago - lost 110 pounds (had lost 125 at my lowest weight). I got a few consultations last week for PS in Miami and felt the most confident is the surgeon who sounds like a perfectionist and is doing a lower body lift plus muscle repair, lipo, breast lift. I’m feeling like I want to be at my lowest again (~165 pounds) so that everything can be as tight as possible so I’m probably going to cut carbs for the next month and a half. Is that silly since he’s doing lipo? Does lipo end up actually impacting the scales? A few pounds of fat can be voluminous so I’m not expecting much. Also for people who traveled to Miami, I’ll take recovery house recommendations. and any other wisdom :)

I had my RNY mid-September and while I'm in a weird headspace where I don't think I'm losing weight 'fast enough' compared with some of the stories I've read here (I know, don't compare, everyone is different; intellectually I get it, it's still something of a challenge sometimes...) I HAVE lost 55lbs. More importantly, the jeans I was wearing pre-op now fit like I'm trying to look like a 20 year old rapper wannbe, hanging half way down my ass if I don't cinch down a belt (which I've had to punch several new holes in and currently wraps around to my side when I use it), and I'm regularly wearing jeans that haven't seen the light of day since I blew up my knees (three months apart, one after the other in 2008)

I am 4 weeks now from surgery. I got my date of 12/27. I have been doing pre op since April but I ran into a health issue that took priority. Now that is taken care of this last stretch has gone quickly. I have a 2 week liquid with one meal a day. Then I have a 1 week liquid only up to surgery. Of course after surgery is the two week post op liquid and then adding in purée food for week three. I don’t know where to start and everything is so expensive. I have gotten some of the stuff I will need but none of it food or the Protein Drinks and shakes. That part I am actually finding rather overwhelming on what to get and how much And advice from anyone?

Well I let myself go the last 2 weeks got off Ozempic and binge ate eating all my favourites like they were my last meals. Ill take it easy till Jan 1st were I start the liquid diet again.

Hi everyone. The mid-year sales are everywhere these days and I was trying to buy new shirts and pants online (my latest addiction). The "problem" that I'm facing is that it seems all the brands that I like only had sales on the big sizes (L, XL, XXL) but not M, S or XS. I don't recall this being a problem in the past haha. It must be a good problem to have then. This made wonder what other "good problems" I had since WLS. Here is what I could think of so far in addition to the one above: - I'm now working size S shirts. I need to find a brand that makes size XS shorts that fits nicely without being too tight. Two years ago, I was on the other end of the size chart / having custom-made shirt - We had a refresher safety training at site last week and I was chosen more than once to demo what we learned. I had to climb ladders, go into manholes (mock ones), confined spaces etc. I was never asked to do this before - I can't use my weight as an excuse for not doing stuff around the house that requires climbing on ladders etc. It would be interesting to hear yours.

Hi, I was just wondering if anyone has suffered with light headiness? Just a bit floaty can’t explain it! I’m 5 weeks post op!

Hello I know everyone is different, but I would really appreciate any comments as to when you finally stopped losing weight after your surgery? I am nearly 8 months post gastric bypass, but have at least another 2st 8lbs to lose before I hit my goal (my goal is to be outside of the obese category for my BMI). Whilst I would love to lose more than this, as long as I lose another 2st 8lbs I will be happy as my reason for undergoing the surgery (other than for my own health) is because I want to undergo IVF. The further out of my surgery I get the more I am consciously limiting my calories and food, because I am just so scared of the weight loss stopping and I am finding it a struggle to shift 1lb a week. Which is making me worry that soon my weight loss will stop. I would say I am eating maximum of 800 - 1,000 calories a day. Any info would be much appreciated.

Had my VSG surgery on Dec. 4th. The days following I’ve struggled to stay awake. Which has made getting enough fluids down. I’ve noticed room temperature or warm liquids feel easiest on my stomach at the moment. I’m not hungry or thirsty though, but I keep drinking because I know I have to. I just hope the weakness wears off and I can stay awake and be a little productive in the next week since I’m scheduled to go back to work on the 20th.

I started the eating out once a week after my honeymoon. I kept it reasonable, but it gave me something to look forward to and variety (and taste). When I started getting hungry again I took out the high calorie low protein nuts (which I added because they told me to go from 800 to 1200 calories when I wasn't even able to consume 800 yet and upped me to 100g of protein from 80) and a scoop of protein powder (high protein, low cal) and added in peanut butter toast, raison toast and another serving of ham. I don't mind eating the same thing every day when I'm at home because it's easier. If you put all your food in a spreadsheet and figure out the calories and protein per ounce, then you can switch it around easier if you need a change. Once I met my goal they told me to add 100-200 calories a day to stop my weight loss. I added in the daily cheat. I still have my spreadsheet, meal plan and measure everything, but when I eat out I can't figure the calories and protein, so I just count it as a meal and a cheat and watch my weight. My weight stayed within 1 pound of my goal weight for over a month when I was going to Halloween parties, Thanksgiving and going out with friends. I've lost another 2 pounds in the last month since I was not going out much. I'm OK with losing a little more weight for now even though I like the way I look at my goal weight because I know most people gain a little back, but I will have to maintain my weight after I get the skin removal surgery next month, so I will probably watch my weight and add in more fruits and vegetables. I'll still count the calories so I can figure out how many I need and make sure I get my protein, but at least I won't have to cram in high protein for EVERYTHING. I saw a different nutritionist when I went in earlier this month and she was surprised my regular nutritionist had told me to avoid fruit and only eat 2 servings of veggies a day. I told her I thought it was because she wanted me to get extra protein due to not being able to exercise much because of my back issues and fruit isn't a protein source. Note, if you get too much protein, your farts smell really bad.

If we are honest with ourselves, we all feared the surgery. We also feared continuing to live as a very obese person. Just because we elected to have this surgery does not mean it was more or less life saving than other emergency procedures. BUT, we are jumping into the unknown and this scares us. It will change your life. It should change your eating habits. We have had plenty to learn along the way. Am I thrilled that I overcame my fears 2 years and 2 weeks ago ? hell yes. I am half the old woman I was and have 4 times the life I used to have. You can always back out of this surgery, right up to the operating theatre doors. A few people in the forum have been honest about this. It may not be your time. If you need too, give yourself some breathing space

After wading through insurance crud, I looked into self-paying and doing it thru Blossom Bariatric's Fast Track program in Las Vegas. My cost would be $6300 all-inclusive, including hotel and transport between hotel and facility for the five days. The selling points include convenience as opposed to the options available with my insurance (closest hospital covered by insurance is a 6-hr drive vs. a 90-min flight to LV), no worries about losing weight before the procedure and getting declined (I'm borderline 40BMI), and no 3- or 6-month waiting period. I have three concerns: 1) Post-surgery followup and care. 2) The "safe sleeve" procedure they do... I can find very little information about it. 3) Not being able to meet the surgeon prior to committing to surgery at the facility. So... has anybody out there had the "safe sleeve" procedure through Blossom Bariatrics in Las Vegas?

i totally understand those sentiments. i am so sick of protein shakes. ..i would rather not eat than drink another! I think having full liquids 14 days prior to surgery AND continue after surgery is exhausting. they should change the preop. if I only had 2 weeks after surgery, this would be a breeze at 1 week in. but i was literally done with shakes before surgery! LOL.

I'm having a food slump! I in no way get the water in each day I'm supposed too.. I'm not thirsty and to be honest I really hate going to the restroom 20+ times a day IF I do get close to the required 64+ oz a day. Plus, I don't understand why I need to, I didn't drink that much beforehand, so I don't understand why suddenly having a smaller stomach requires a sudden huge mandatory increase in water consumption!? Plus, I am sooooooooooooooooooo burnt out on the same foods over and over and yes over. I detest eggs (always have) and have always preferred something like avocado toast for breakfast and a cup of coffee. I detest cooking so I tend to eat the same thing every single day - something I can cook in quantity. Lately its been turkey chili with added protein powder. Chicken breast with veggies is boring/bland... Then there's the chicken of the sea - white fish with veggies..again just not my thing. So, I just eat the same thing over and over. I have to admit, I miss sauces, thai noodles and pizza and foods I can dip! I have a food texture problem so it leaves quite a few things off my plate..plus I'm hypersensitive to carbs - racing heart feeling jittery so I eat very low carb (under 25) low sugar, low calorie in other words low taste (to me anyway). I do what I have to to lose the weight and become healthy.. But its taken a lot of joy out of life, the holidays just plain suck now...all the family traditions came to a stop because of me (we used to all get our favorite restaurant dishes and share pot luck style for New Years), bake cookies with a Cookie exchange (no one wants my healthy protein balls - I eat them because I need protein, not because they're great tasting). I know I'm suppose to eat for fuel, but, we all eat for joy - if people didn't there wouldn't be different foods, cooking styles and spices, we eat at get togethers, social times, celebrations - I can't and don't want to inflict my eating restrictions/requirements on everyone else. I fight that siren song and battle it every week, anyone else? Anyone have any reasonable suggestions? (I added reasonable because my dietician suggests things like - " you want crunchy "eat a celery stick" you want noodles try palm noodles..etc. NOT even close. I think dieticians in bariatric clinics should have been a bariatric patient themselves so they'd understand their suggestions suck. Perhaps I'm asking if anyone else is or has gone through this...slump.....I find its easier to just not eat than eat another healthy bland boring food. Sorry for the rant.

Had my final appointment with the surgeon today - my preflight check - We are a go for take off in 3 weeks! Oh, and he is a cutie... although I'm too old to be a cougar! haha!

I had VSG November 30th, and I’m over the liquid diet😩I’ve tried to get creative but really how creative can a girl get! I still have another week until I can add pureed foods but sheesh! I had a calcium citrate caramel chew today and it was everything 🙌🏼😩😭 just the fact I got to actually chew something was the highlight of my day!

Just wanted to follow up on a few things from the post above: 1. DS patients do not typically experience dumping syndrome. We maintain our pylorus valve during the sleeve part of the surgery, so we dump at the same rate as the non-surgical population. 2. Bypass patients have about a 30% chance of dumping, lower if they avoid the food behaviors that trigger it. For all but a few it is a manageable phenomenon. 3. Diabetes goes into remission MUCH more frequently with Bypass and DS patients because of the alterations to the small intestines. As do most other co-morbidities. 4. I don't personally view my DS surgery as "punishing". My body has done nothing wrong. I feel no need to punish it. I personally don't have emotional eating issues but I don't judge those that do, nor do I think it is a reason to punish the body... Having my small intestines rerouted was not a punishment. It was a BLESSING! My fasting blood sugars normalized within 24 hours of surgery. So did my high blood pressure. I'm not on medication for either one. I'm currently 7 weeks post op. I consider remission of those two conditions to be a modern medical miracle... I didn't choose the DS to be harsh to my body. I picked it because it had the best chance of restoring my health and keeping the weight off long term. My surgeon put it best "You have a metabolic disorder. You need a metabolically potent surgery. The DS is the most potent one available..." My bowels habits have changed, but nothing unmanageable. I have to watch my carbs, that's no different than before surgery. I no longer have to count calories because I malabsorb a portion of them. I'm at risk of vitamin deficiencies if I don't take my vitamins, that to me is no different than risking a blood sugar or blood pressure emergency from not regularly taking my meds pre-surgery. Nothing about this process is free. There are always trade offs. Any GI issues that occur with the DS can also happen with Bypass, including vitamin and protein deficiencies. But protein and vitamin deficiencies are also possible with sleeve patients. They may happen at different rates, but they are unusual across the board. As are serious complications. Gallbladder failure can happen with ANY surgery. It is caused by the rapid weight loss and low fat diet many adhere to post surgery. It is not unique to the DS or Bypass. I don't think DS and Bypass patients are choosing to punish themselves because they pick these surgeries. They pick these surgeries because of their own individual medical challenges and what they need out of their surgery. Most of us are working to heal various dysfunctional relationships with our bodies, or with food, or both. None of us are exempt from that. These surgeries are ALL support tools, not a punishment for past misdeeds.

Hi there!!! I have been summoned, I see lol Ok, so a little about what I've been through, and then I'll give any advice I can. I had the sleeve in May 2022. Initially, I was doing awesome. Lost a lot of weight, got off several meds, health issues corrected, it was awesome. Right up until it wasn't. Around 6 months post op, I started noticing some reflux issues (which I had never had before). It steadily got worse and I had to have a barium swallow (NASTY!!!) to see what was happening. I had severe GERD, gastritis, and esophagitis. I also had a narrowing esophagus. So I was put on Nexium (40mg once per day). The GERD steadily got worse and worse until I was put on 80mg of Nexium daily as well as Pepcid for break through (which I took daily). It still didn't completely help. I was on such a high amount of PPI for such a long time that I ended up developing an OBSCENE amount of polyps all through my stomach and duodenum. This year, I had 7 surgeries to remove all of the polyps, stretch my esophagus, and have a revision to a bypass. I also had to have the part of the stomach that's bypassed removed because that's where so many of the polyps were forming. When I had the sleeve, I had so much pain, trouble tolerating anything cold, trouble taking pills, trouble getting in enough water. It was completely miserable. With my revision to bypass, it was like the heavens opened up and the angels started singing to me. No pain meds at all beyond Tylenol. Up and around within 4 days. Was able to take pills from day 1. No GERD at all. No constipation like with the sleeve. Able to get my fluids in from day 1 (drank a 20 oz of water in the hospital within 2 hours of getting back to my room from recovery), no issues with temps of liquids. My only regret is that I didn't just get the bypass to begin with. Because of all the surgeries, my abdominal wall weakened and I developed a ventral hernia that was repaired 3 weeks ago. Still recovering from that one. I was freaked out at first at the thought of getting a bypass. It's why I opted for the sleeve to begin with. I was afraid of dumping, I was afraid of malabsorption, I was afraid of getting a stricture. Well, I only dump if I have too many carbs, so I just avoid them for the most part (I never even get to my allotted amount, I'm always way under). I haven't had any stricture, but if I do, it's a super easy fix (and after everything I've already been through, I'm not even a tiny bit worried). And malabsorption is only an issue with extended release meds (I don't take those now) and vitamins (take bariatric ones or double up on the regular ones). There was nothing to be worried about, but I let the chatter from those that weren't in my position freak me out and cause me to choose the sleeve instead of the bypass. My advice to you is to not listen to anyone else. You and your doctor know what's best for you. The revision will give you your life back. Being pain and complication free is worth its weight in...well...everything. When you look at everything you've been through up until this point, the recovery from the revision will be a walk in the park. It's better for your health (physically and mentally) and it will allow you to get back to your life. This surgery is supposed to afford us the chance to have the life and health we've always been meant to, and complications can really do a number on us. The revision will be a godsend to you, mark my words. I don't have a single regret.

I'm so happy to report that I have an appointment January 2 with the director of the new practice. When I spoke with the administrative person to make the appointment, she did make it sound likely that I would not have a lot of extra stuff to do since I was right at the end of the process before it got cancelled, just needing the routine pre-surgery tests and my insurance approval. I'm so sorry your insurance is being a pain about your in-network coverage. The whole in or out of network coverage is total BS. If they're a licensed doctor, they should be covered. Period. I have to say, the relief I felt when the HR person sent over the insurance benefit packet and I saw the logo of a very widely accepted insurance that is known to have good coverage is almost impossible to describe. This is sort of a long-term consulting gig for my husband, and I had nightmares that the consulting firm would be using crappy companies I'd never heard of to save some cash. Financially, I may end up coming out of this a little bit ahead, maybe $1500 less out of pocket. But I swear I'll spend that on hair dye to cover all the gray hair this ordeal is giving me! And I'm self-employed, so I can't just request a few weeks of vacation when the time comes. I'll need to do some major reworking of my schedule to accommodate the new date. As you said, is the head of the old hospital losing sleep over this? No, he is not. But it will work out, and this time next year I will be looking back on it and laughing. In that awkward way you laugh over things that are so not funny.

Thank you for the replies. Summerseeker : "Food should not be boring. I just do not live to eat it anymore." I don't Iive to eat, I never have, but good food contributes to a good life. "Variety is the spice of life" variety I can't have. Yes, I knew this goes into this but, it doesn't make it any easier! What I was attempting to say is its boring because; 1. Unlike you I detest cooking so the thought of sitting down to think out my weeks meals sounds tedious and time consuming (even if necessary) I really wish I had the time and inclination to do it and I'm jealous of those who are willing and able.. I just don't want to add yet more measuring, weighing prepping to my day off since I do enough of that weekly in very exacting details (down to microns) 😛 Perhaps its also the lack of options..see #2; 2. With this new way of eating and my intolerance of carbs it makes my options very limited. After all there are five food groups and I've eliminated 3 of the five as it is - grains, most dairy unless you want overly processed artificial dairy and fruits. Add to that my food texture issue (symptom of ADHD) ..this leaves me with low fat beef, fish and chicken for proteins and veggies (non starchy). I do track everything I eat and drink as well although I love your way of if you get your proteins in and still want a "biscuit" and a bite of noodles you have it. Perhaps, I'm being overly controlling of my diet out of fear of regaining the weight and its causing me to feel this way. Arabesque: I understand why drinking water and peeing is important and your body should adjust to more water consumption, but, after 9 months I still go 20+ times a day - very inconvenient when I work managing a pathology lab - I have to remove a lab coat, gloves and mask, then go through decontamination processes each time I exit the lab and then upon entering resuit up and on top of that no drinks allowed in the lab - so in order to get my water in I have lunch time and when I get home OR leave the lab for my sip. So, this means working 10 hours a day it gives me a very short window to get my water in especially since I can't drink large quantities at once. I should have explained better (but my post was already long). My apologies. I guess my lack of "thirst" has developed from years of training from this job and my last. I just worry about not getting the required amount in. Anyway, its just me whinging. I'm just finding it difficult and quite frankly tiring (getting up several times a night to pee doesn't help).

Maybe it would work swapping around the food. Like save your shake for later in the day and have your meal at lunchtime or around like 3. Then maybe your sugar will be more stable and if it does start to drop you have the shake and it brings it back up. im glad you’re able to work with your dietitian on figuring it out. i am on the same diet starting next week.