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Lap band surgery 2004, nothing but pain & discomfort, no weight loss. Especially port sight hurt, lots of throwing up. After several attempts for help I started to just “live with it”. Married a wonderful man about 2 years ago, he said No your quality of life is more important. Went to doctors with me and he detailed everything (stuff I didn’t think to mention). I was referred to an excellent gastric surgeon. After tests and imaging, he said “the band needs to be removed and a bypass RNY performed. I was scheduled within a week, no waiting time. Best thing I ever did! The band was cutting into my liver, and other issues. I had a bit of discomfort but no pain meds other than Tylenol. I had this done May 15,2023, I have lost 70 pounds and feel great. Wear a size 4-6 jeans. I hope this helps someone. I think the band is the worst choice!

I had gastric bypass 8 days ago and I haven't felt hungry at all since waking up in my hospital room. If I didn't have times set for when I need to eat and how much, I would just not eat because if anything I feel an uncomfortable fullness like I've just stuffed myself with a massive holiday dinner just by drinking a couple sips of water. But I agree with @catwoman7 about the 2 week pre-op diet being the hardest part. Although after about 4 days, you become resigned to it and stop feeling so hungry. My advice is remove all temptation from your home and office areas before you start. You can't eat what you don't have.

on vacay this week, so every day's OOTD will be a bikini. this is the first of MANY (too many, some might say lol) that i brought with me 😉

I am just starting Zepbound tomorrow! Ihave had a long journey. I was lapbanded in 2002. I lost 130lbs. In 2014, after not seeing any doctors for 5 years, I went to a local bariatric surgeon just for a checkup. He found my esophagus had expanded. My band was too tight and I was packing my esophagus..didn't even know..no pain. Immediately unfilled and gained 30lbs in a month..eating NOTHING! LIke almost! I was refilled after about 3-4 months and then developed an infection..and to cut to the chase..band was removed in 2018 and revised to sleeve. By then I was up 50lbs. Since then I gained another 50lbs..so the sleeve did nothing. Between covid, bad eating habits and menopause, I cannot get this weight off..I tried keto..lost a few lbs..tried intermittent fasting..lost a few more..but my body just won't move the weight down..so broke down last week and saw my new primary doctor and she prescrived Zepbound..well orginally Wegovy but that is harder to find and Costco had Zepbound. I will start this Saturday.

It really did! I think I was on the waiting list for Tier 3 for about 2 years. I don't know how they think they are helping those who desperately need help with their weight, by making them wait years and years without any support. I completely empathise with that, although there are a lot of freedoms with being self-employed, it does make some things more difficult. I am glad they have reacted quickly to the complaint - I so hope they take it as seriously as they should and the woman who initially caused stress is actually held accountable. I have my fingers crossed for you! ❤️ Here if you need a friend x

How hungry is everyone after gastric bypass surgery? One of my biggest fears is being constantly hungry since no food is actually making it through my stomach. I have a week to go before my surgery, just starting the pre-op diet tomorrow, and a bit nervous if i can make it through without feeling like I'm starving.

While I do soak my oats overnight, it’s not the traditional ‘overnight oats’ because I still cook it. I start with a microwave safe container. Add 1/4 cup traditional oats (half a serve & not instant which are more highly processed & has additives), 1/2 teaspoon dried cranberries, a tablespoon of mixed seeds & a cup of milk. I microwave it in the morning & then add 1/3 tub 20g protein yoghurt, additional milk for a runnier texture & blueberries. Gives me on average a good 22g or so of protein. You could add some unflavoured protein powder for an extra boost if you want. I eat it hot or cold. I always have a few spoons leftover (it’s very filling) which I eat as an afternoon snack. Be ware: don’t cook it after you add the yoghurt - it curdles - shudder! If you were wanting a quick grab & go breakfast before work, my version takes vey little time. Pop it in the microwave while you’re getting dressed. Stir in yoghurt, additional milk, berries & then go. The overnight recipes I’ve seen use half a grated apple & yoghurt, milk optional the night before & no cooking the next day. I think they use instant oats which is why it doesn’t need to be cooked. Traditional oats are a great complex whole grain carb. You get sweetness from the fruit you add so no added sugar. Great breakfast choice. I ate rolled oats & blue berries 3 or 4 days a week while losing & now eat it every day.

Oh yes, way off the mark. You’re not in maintenance yet. You’re in a weight loss stage if I read your post correctly. You have every right to ask for the details, guidelines recommendations around your food intake & options, macros, calories, & whatever else you need to make you feel comfortable & confident about what you are doing. They are supposed to be there to help you & provide you with the depth of information you need to be successful regardless of current thinking or their own beliefs. It’s then up to you how you use that information - a guide or rule. Plus you have to work out what you (your body) needs to function best & most effectively. While some plans recommend getting your calories up, it seems to begin after you are on more solid food so 2+ months. From puree I was advised to eat 1/4 - 1/3 cup of food, slowly increasing to about a cup at 6 months. I was a bare cup & maybe 900 calories at my goal at 6 months. Ate about 1200 at my lowest weight (48.2kg at 18 months) & maintain 48.5/49kg consuming about 1600 calories. My portions only became about what is considered a recommended portion size around the 2 year + mark (3-4ozs protein & 3/4 cup vegetables). Oh & I didn’t have another shake after the liquid stage either. But that’s me & what worked/s for me. You could be totally different. To me a snack is generally a couple of bites. My snacks can be a level teaspoon of peanut paste, 1/2 a protein bar, 8 grapes, 1/2 a small apple, a stick of string cheese, about 6 macadamias to give you an idea. I used to eat a tub of 20g protein yoghurt over an hour as a snack too. As @catwoman7 said we all have different caloric & nutritional needs. Age, gender, general health, weight, height, metabolism, activity levels, etc. all factor in. And yes, if you want to lose more you will have to eat less than you are eating now & you’d have to eat less to maintain the lower weight than you would to maintain a higher weight.

I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you taking the time to answer me. It’s been over 2 months , so that’s why I’m kinda freaking out (my younger brother died of stomach cancer in his 30s… sooo the thought not getting my erosions to heal and this surgery not having been a success is really depressing me). I have an endoscopy scheduled for 3/15.. I can’t bear the thought of this revision not being a success … thank you , again 😢🙏🏽

@summerseeker made a great list! I would add to make sure your surgeon prescribes a PPI (proton pump inhibitor) for the first few months after surgery. This is to help calm the acid production in your stomach because our tiny stomachs are still making enough acid for our big stomach at first! With lower acidity you'll be able to sleep better and heal better internally without acid irritating that tender healing tissue. And keep in mind that hydration is crucial for the first few weeks, more than anything else, because it is hydration that will keep you out of the ER for dehydration. Try different temperature fluids (ice cold, hot, room temp), different flavors (sweet water flavoring packets, savory broth, neutral lactose free milk, herbal teas, decaf tea), and different textures (protein milk, protein water, protein shakes, milk thinned yogurt when allowed, sugar free popsicles). All fluid counts at first, even shakes or sugar free popsicles. I ate a LOT of sugar free popsicles the first two weeks. BUT, if you can't get near those 64 oz be sure to let your surgeon know. There is no shame in going to get hydration infusions and usually if you let them know before it is critical, they can arrange for it at an infusion center instead of the ER. Oh and wear something loose to the hospital, preferably something that doesn't put pressure on your stomach. And shoes you don't have to bend over to put on! LOL

Do you think just going back to that pre-surgery diet for a week would work well as a jump start? The 1 - 2 cups of broth, 4 oz of protein, 1 cup veg, 2.5 protein shakes? The surgar free water packet flavorings and even the gatorade / powerade zero still give me the prevomit saliva problem T_T

I agree with @NickelChip, this seems quite off. I've seen 800 calorie plans for bypass patients in the active weight loss phase, but most people are in the 1200 calorie range for maintenance... And your portion size will naturally increase a bit over time as you are able to eat more as your pouch heals. It won't be as much as a "matured sleeve" can eat, but it won't be a few tablespoons either. At the bariatric clinic I go to I attended nutrition class with sleeve patients and bypass patients, even though I'm a DS patient. We were all told to keep each meal to 10 grams of fat or less (general aim at 1 year out is 60 grams of total fat as per the ASMBS guidelines for a year out), and 10 grams of carbs or less, for less than 50 total grams of carbs a day, as they want us in ketosis during the active fat loss phase (this amount will double to about 100 grams of total carbs in maintenance). And protein varies for each group but bypass was to aim for 80 grams of protein a day, since they malabsorb some compared to the sleeve patients. NONE of us were given a calorie goal, only macro goals. We were ALL told to aim for 5-6 small meals a day for consistent energy, aiming for 4-5 meals if we go to bed early or get up late. So we were encouraged to eat about every 3 hours, allowing 2-3 hours between our last meal and bed. And told a fair amount of our carbs should come from high fiber, low carb vegetables and low sugar fruits, with a fiber supplement (SunFiber is amazing and non-bloating) and Miralax as needed to maintain regularity.

Hahahaha!! I eat a little bit of dark chocolate a few times a week for my mental health. I save it until after dinner and only have a bite or two, so it takes forever to finish a bar or bag of chocolate chips. But man, saving those carbs for that dark chocolate is worth it! 😂 I recently discovered freeze dried strawberries. OMG *swoon* I can't eat any raw fruit yet, it sends me right to the bathroom. But apparently freeze dried is fine and eating 1/4 cup of freeze dried strawberries easily fits into my macros. They are delicious crumbled on top of greek yogurt too! But they have to be freeze dried, the regular dried variety has sugar added and is waaay higher in carbs.

This makes sense! I have been under 50g, I have no desire to eat any bread but my guy bought me this huge Valentines Day heart of Sees Candy so I have been eating 1 bite of my favorite and putting it back. Just like the Trunchbull in Matilda LMFAO! It is what has been keeping me from over indulging. Its the perfect bite and I enjoy it. I may not have it every single day but 2x a week.

Even though you are a revision, your digestive system is still full of swelling and sutures from a major surgery! Hydration is king for the first two weeks, then protein, and both of these needs can be met with fluids... If you are experiencing nausea don't be afraid to ask for meds, it should help you be able to drink more. I agree with the others, sounds like a possible UTI. Best to go be tested at the doctor. Be sure to let your surgeon know approximately how much fluid you are getting in a day. Low fluid intake not only causes dehydration, but it can increase your risk for a UTI, especially in the first few weeks after surgery. ❤️

I'm so sorry you are experiencing this!! This isn't a you problem!! If you aren't losing sufficient weight you are either being given poor advice from your nutrition team, poor medical support from your surgeon, or it is possible your body is under significant stress for whatever reason and isn't losing weight. There are rare cases when someone with a sleeve doesn't respond but often those are people who have low starting weights. If they had a high starting weight and don't respond to the sleeve surgery, these people generally end up revised to bypass or a DS/SADI, and then lose weight, but again, that should be a convo being initiated by your surgeon as a future possibility if food modification and medications don't work. Some people take GLP-1 meds to help jumpstart their weight loss if the surgery hasn't triggered it, but again, at the 6 month mark this should be something the surgeon initiates conversation about. You shouldn't be living in fear of your appointments with them. If you aren't feeling supported you might consider getting a second opinion from another bariatric surgeon in the area not affiliated with this practice. I strongly believe in second opinions when talking things like surgery... It may sound like I'm being harsh on your team, but lets be clear. They made a nice chunk of money off of your surgery. You deserve good aftercare!! Some surgeons, like my own, believe that the best way to lose weight in the first 6 months to a year after surgery is through being in ketosis. This involves a good protein intake (60-80 grams with the sleeve) and carbs below 50 total carbs or 30 grams net carbs. You can get pee strips to test if you are in ketosis. Once in ketosis you should go through regular periods when you lose some weight, followed by periods where you lose none as your body stabilizes from the previous loss and recalibrates. If this doesn't happen, I'd definitely be communicating with the surgeon about it! What dietary advice did your team give you? Hydration is important for weight loss. If you aren't able to eat enough calories or drink enough water your body will go into starvation mode like @summerseeker mentioned. This is a huge stressor to the body!! And huge stress will cause weight loss to stop. Sleep is also crucial to weight loss, often more important than exercise. If you aren't getting regular sleep for enough hours per night, this can stall your weight loss. Physical activity of some kind is important, but it accounts for less weight loss than proper nutrition and sleep. And if you are under calories and under hydrated exercise will just further stress out your body.

Have you tried the sugar free water flavorings? I absolutely cannot stand plain water, but if it's flavored than I can definitely drink more than what I'm required. As for exercising, start small. Try water exercises, chair, or floor exercises. Can you maybe go back to basics and do protein shakes and broth, then mushy foods, then soft foods? Supplement with the shakes until you can tolerate more food. Also, definitely talk to your nutritionist and surgeon about this, as you should be able to eat food and get fluids in at 6 months out with little to no problems. For me, I ate 3 meals and 2 snacks for MONTHS. Now I am down to 1 snack on non work out days and 2 snacks on work out days.

Ahhh, the lovely tier 3 programme! It took an absolute age just to even be considered for that to begin with, I really feel for you. Then the added issue of thinking you would be aiming for a certain month or period of the year, to then be told last minute it's being pushed back, again and again, is genuinely the worst of it. Being completely honest too, as someone who is self-employed, I just don't earn enough regularly to commit to paying it per month. I was working 6/7 days a week between two jobs and I was barely earning more than 22-ish thousand a year salary until the end of last year. I do have the comfort of earning a little bit more now, but only in the right seasons unfortunately. I did put in a complaint yesterday to PALS, and they very quickly responded which was good of them, but it was conveniently not the woman who caused the stress to begin with. They've 'provisionally' (and I use that loosely!) let me know the 28th of March could work depending on how many others they have to schedule. Just a waiting game I suppose. Thank you for your kind words, I really appreciate it x

Thank you for the response summer, The water has always been a problem since the very beginning. It ALWAYS causes the spit thing to happen and its awful. Even if it's just sips. I wish I could just live connected to an IV. At my last meeting with my nutritionist 3 months ago they seemed disappointed that I had only lost 20 pounds since the surgery and hadn't lost any more since then. It was disheartening and has led me to live in fear of my next appointment with them, I feel like they're just going to be disappointed and shame me again and make me feel not good enough. It sucks.

Honestly, this seems way off-base, with the exception of 60-80 grams protein, which is completely sufficient for most people (but not all!). Your calorie estimations are much too low for the vast majority of people in maintenance mode. So rest assured, you won't be on 650 calories for life! Also, 25g carb is extremely low carb and not a lifestyle most people are eager to embrace. If a doctor insisted on 25g carb for life as the only way to succeed, I would seek out a second opinion for sure. From what I see people saying around here, 1200 to 1500 is a much more realistic calorie range for the long term, although that is for maintenance, not for weight loss or for early days after surgery. If you eat to maintain your current weight right now, that would seem to go against your goal of losing 20-50lbs more. I have two suggestions. First, check out some bariatric cookbooks because they will tell you appropriate portion sizes for maintenance as well as give you some ideas for what types of foods to be eating. My favorite is Kristin Willard's Bariatric Meal Prep Made Easy: 6 Weeks of Portion Controlled Recipes to Keep the Weight off. She's a registered dietician specializing in bariatrics and every recipe has a gorgeous color illustration. Second, take a look at the Portion Perfection brand bariatric plate. It's kind of expensive, so you may not want to buy it, but the concept is really good. Basically it's an 8 inch plate (with a one inch rim all the way around, so a 6 inch circle of eating space). There are lines and illustrations to divide up the plate and show you where to put your foods and how much. If you're a visual person, this may really help. Other than that, you may want to check out some of the nutrition videos as well as the weekly podcast done by Dr. Matthew Weiner (Pound of Cure). I find them so insightful and he and his dietician, Zoe, are very keen on plant-based nutrition, which may be perfect for you. Edited to add: Here is a link to a dietician article about post-op goals that might help: https://www.mybariatricdietitian.com/mbd-blog/portion-sizes-after-weight-loss-surgery

I had VSG (2015) to RNY revision on January 18th due to GERD. I also had regained almost 70 pounds from my VSG post-op low weight. I've so far lost about 20 pounds since the pre-op diet & surgery. I need to lose another 20 pounds (for normal BMI) to 50 pounds (for calculated ideal body weight). I'm now on unrestricted food textures, and per my program's dietician, I'm supposed to be on my "maintenance" diet now. However, they refuse to discuss any calorie goals or macros other than protein. I'm someone who needs very clear goals and guidelines (thanks, long-undiagnosed ADHD), and I'm feeling very lost about what my diet should look like moving forward. The lifelong guidelines for my program, as I understand them: 60-80g protein per day Up to 4 oz. (1/2 cup) per meal, consisting of: Up to 3 oz. protein per meal Up to 1 oz. (total) veg, fruit, or starch per meal 3 meals per day 1 snack per day (the program guide I was given says 1-2, but per my surgeon I'm only allowed to have 1 snack per day and it has to be between lunch and dinner) - I have no guidelines for the amount I'm allowed for the snack. I assume it's not supposed to be as much food as the meals, but I don't know. Protein shakes/powders are frowned upon The only sample menu provided in my program guide is as follows: Breakfast: Egg omelet with sautéed peppers & onions Snack: Protein shake OR Greek yogurt with berries [removed per my surgeon's instructions] Lunch: Lettuce wrap with turkey and avocado/cheese [it is not clear to me if the / means avocado OR cheese, or avocado AND cheese, but I assume the former] Snack: Apple slices with 2 tablespoons nut butter OR carrots with hummus Dinner: Pesto chicken with spaghetti squash, sautéed spinach, and cherry tomatoes I plugged this menu into the Baritastic app to try and get a sense of what the calories and macros are supposed to look like. The sample menu gave no amounts other than the nut butter, so I used the 3 oz. protein + 1 oz. veg/fruit/starch rule. With the carrots & hummus snack option, here are the macros for the day: 593 calories 62g protein 32g fat 17g carbs (13g net carbs) 4g sugar 4g fiber And here are the apple & nut butter (I used natural peanut butter) macros for the day: 739 calories 67g protein 43g fat 21g carbs (16g net carbs) 8g sugar 5g fiber So from that, I'm extrapolating that I should be aiming for the following daily: 600-750 calories 60-80g protein 30-40g fat less than 25g carbs less than 10g sugar I have a few concerns... I have already been going well over those amounts at just over a month post-op. I've typically getting around 800-900 calories per day. It seems like a real struggle to get to the upper range of protein daily while sticking to the allowed amounts and without using any shakes or protein supplements. Even then, 80g seems low for a protein goal. I have never been a big meat eater (I was vegetarian through most of my teens and 20s), and I absolutely cannot stand any fish or seafood. I do eat a lot of dairy, eggs, and beans, but it seems like that's not going to do it. The standard daily fiber goal I've always heard is 25g per day. I've been getting about 12-15g per day right now, but knowing that I'm overeating and already having too many carbs means even that's not sustainable. I've struggled with post-op constipation... I have gotten to a much better place recently, but if I need to cut back to 4-5g of fiber per day to be within my other limits, I'm afraid of going backwards. That I'm limited to 1/2 cup of food per meal for the rest of my life came as a shock to me, as a revision patient. I knew that my pouch would be smaller than my sleeve, and like with my original surgery, the amount I'd be able to eat at one time would be very small initially. But with my sleeve (which was done by a different surgeon in a different program), there was definitely not the expectation that the amount I could/should eat at 1 month post-op would be the same as what I could/should be eating at 6 months or 1 year out. My bypass surgeon also told me that she left my pouch a little larger than normal so that I wouldn't lose too much additional weight, so my pouch is already larger than a regular bypass patient's. Do these amounts seem in line with other people's experiences? Or am I way off-base?

I was on clear liquids 3 days, then full liquids for the first 2 weeks post op! While I craved substantial food at 6 days, my stomach wasn’t anywhere near ready for pureed food. Started pureed on day 15 post op and will be on it until 4 weeks post op. Next stage is soft food (weeks 4-6). At 6 weeks post op, I can slowly transition to solids

Just hit 3 weeks post-op today. I’m also on 2oz purée food to be SLOWLY eaten over 30 minutes. At this stage, protein shakes no longer count towards water goal of 48-64oz. I have also still been hungry and felt like I needed more substance. Met with my surgeon yesterday and he said the hunger hormones are still adjusting in my body, and it may take a few more weeks to feel less hungry. Also, I know some of the hunger is mental. Some things that have helped me are to actually take 30 minutes to eat the 2oz- which is quite difficult for me to slow down that much. I also stick to 16oz of water slowly sipped until around 8am. Protein shake slowly sipped 10am-12pm (I started adding a serving of collagen peptides to my morning protein shake (my program says collagen peptides are not a complete source of nutrition, so should not be taken as a full meal)- this has put me at more calories and protein earlier in the day. Lunch around 2pm, dinner around 5:30/6pm, another protein shake or 1oz purée a little later if needed. Goal is 60-75 grams of protein

Hello Irene, Welcome in here and congratulations on your surgery date. You will find a March 2024 group on here that you can join. Don't read anything on the net. Scare stories are not needed. This surgery is very safe. This forum is a safe place. Stick to your teams advice, There is not a single person on here who has the same regime as you, pre or post op. Don't buy loads of things you think you may need. Our tastes buds change after surgery because of Ketosis. Just buy a few of a selection of protein shakes. You may want to buy pain meds if you are not in the UK. You will not need much at the hospital. Go in clothes that you can go home in. Take a Chapstick and some Biotin. Some people take a phone charger with a long lead. You might want to use a recliner chair for sleeping, if you have one. I didn't and had to sleep upright in bed for a while and a recliner would have been easier. I had a bed wedge and lots of pillows. If you have a pre op diet they are tough for the first 4 or 5 days but its worth it in the end. You will have a weight loss stall at 2-3 weeks. You have not done anything wrong. You may get over emotional and / or get the regrets at this time. Our hormones are in the fat cells and releasing them in such a hurry makes our hormones go on a wild ride.