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I’m scheduled for a bypass on 10/25 in NY. So happy, Excited and scared at the same time.

I think the above is key. I worked 10 years in hospitality, most of it in the kitchen as a cook, and have done film catering where it was a bingo card of dietary requirements and it's not difficult to feed people. Yes, it's can be a pain in the arse and some kitchens are vocal about that, but that's the job. With bariatric requirements in a hospital, it's definitely not asking too much. It's just down to planning and having some meals that are easy to alter. I sometimes wish I could march into the local public hospital kitchen and sort out their "difficult" or "annoying" dietary offerings. But then I remember how I never want to work in hospitality again...

I'm only about 10 days out, and haven't had the experience yet, but I've heard its awful. I'm so sorry you are experiencing this! It could definitely be the meds. I know I get sort of "crampy" if I don't space mine out well enough. Getting all my meds and vitamins down is literally an all day thing. I've heard a lot of folks say that if you aren't doing well on the phase you're at, you can always go back to the previous one for a bit. So, if soft foods might be a bit too much just yet, maybe go back to full liquids/purees for a few days and then try again? Everyone heals at a different pace and it absolutely isn't a race. Go as slow as you need to. And of course, east slow, no drinking 30 minutes before or after, chew really well, etc. Hopefully it settles down and you can continue recovering!

well, it’s been one week, I went to my Back doctor, because I had spinal stenosis in the lower back for about three years, Tried having surgery, but I couldn’t because when I went into the operating room, when they flipped me over, I stopped breathing, so the operation was canceled, All I could do was walk about 100 feet then my back would hurt so bad, I would halve to sit down, I also couldn’t stand longer than 10 minutes at a time. Because of the pain, I also had arthritis pain in my knees, hips lower and upper back, I was a mess. Had my surgery, and yes it hurt, and yes, I had to change, I went to my back doctor, and he said I lost 24 pounds. I said wow. The first thing I noticed was my ankles, they weren’t swollen anymore. They looked kind of skinny, My back pain stated to go away, my arthritis pain went away, I showered yesterday and dropped my sock and I just reached down and picked it up, haven’t done that in a while. Rechecked today and yes, I have no problem picking up items off the floor. Went to the store, and walked around the whole time, feet are tired, but my back doesn’t hurt at all. After all this after one week, what’s to come in the future.

Hi! 👋 ☺️ I’m scheduled for gastric sleeve on 10/19! Just found out today. Super nervous about approval still but I’m just over here so excited while I’m hoping and praying!

as you get closer to your goal, it slows down a lot. Just stick to your plan, though. My last few months I lost like two or three lbs a month - but it did keep going... P.S. I've mentioned this on this site before, but i remember going to Weight Watchers meetings before surgery, and (mentally) rolling my eyes at these slightly overweight women who'd moan and groan about how hard it was to lose 10 lbs. Being 200 lbs overweight, I had to laugh at that. But now I totally get it... It's REALLY tough when you don't have much to lose. But just keep at it..

Hi there has anyone experienced an extremely slow weight loss after getting a bypass? I am close to my 5 month check up and have lost 45 pounds here but 10 of those were lost in the last two months. It’s been very discouraging to only lose 5 lbs per month. I have 22 more lbs to go to reach my goal here. I do understand that when you get to a lower weight it’s slows but this feels very slow... I do walk 3 miles daily drink 50oz of water, and keep calories under 700 daily with 80 grams of protein. The only thing I’ve done differently is add coffee back into my diet but have only been drinking one cup daily, I can’t imagine that would be enough to affect my weight loss, but I did make this change in the last two months.. I’m curious to know if anyone else has experienced similar issues and if so what changes did you make to get back on track thank you in advance for any suggestions you may have!

I'm about 10 weeks out from VSG. For me, I can now take generally "normal sized" drinks. I don't have to sip the 1/4oz anymore, but I cannot chug anything. Two to three swallows at a time is my max, or I get stomach pains. While working on remodeling my kitchen one day I had a memory lapse and forgot about surgery and started chugging a Gatorade. Two gulps in (think about 12oz), I had a major diaphragm spasm and my stomach just rejected everything. I had grape Gatorade coming out of my nose and what felt like someone stabbing me in the chest with a knife. It was...unpleasant, to say the least. tldr: sipping won't last forever, but you may not ever be able to gulp

I have (maybe had at this point) severe fatty liver disease when I had my surgery (VSG), so I was super worried my liver would be too big or fatty for the surgery to go forward on the day and specifically asked my surgeon about this. She said that they generally only worry about the liver being too big/fatty with patients with BMI in the 60s or higher, which wasn't me. I don't know if that is you or not, but a bit of info. She also said that the pre-op diet, especially the liquid portion, is very effective and can shrink the liver quite a bit in just a few days/weeks. As for starting the liquid diet early...I wouldn't suggest it. It is pretty tough and if your program is anything like mine, it will be a loooooooooong time before you get to eat food again. Don't give it up too soon. I was on nothing but liquids for 10 days pre-op and more than 15 days post-op--25 days total. I had three periods of psychological difficulty with this--day 2 & 3 pre-op (just hangry and had a headache for more than 24 hours--pissed me off), the day before surgery (just tired of liquids and impatient) and then about 10 days post-op, when I was really, really over the protein shakes and just wanted to eat something--anything. Good luck!

My first post-op AI vacay was at around 10 months post op (I was already in maintenance though). I did eat too much (or too fast?) the first day and did barf a couple times as a result, and that was enough to keep me vigilant for the rest of the trip. I ate just veggies and protein 90% of the time. My carbs/sugars came from the crazy delicious cookies at the coffee bar, and single bites (for taste, lol) of other’s desserts, and mangoes the size of my head (yum!) I did still track all my food intake, but it was all guessing so…highly inaccurate….i’ll see if i can pull up my food logs from that time…? Didn’t have any of the sugary mixed drinks, but did have wine, vodka sodas and tequila shots. Lots of it, i confess. Went to the gym to run on the treadmill for an hour every morning, or joined in the resort’s organized morning road run for 5K (twice i did a 10k with them, the first time ever at that point to ever do that distance, EVER!) I came home basically the same weight as i left. I was 119.8 the morning i left, came back 10 days later at 119.9 Now….compare this to a 2 week NON-AI trip i took a month later, and i came back 5lbs heavier (I didn’t nearly do as much exercise that time around, didn’t track a thing, and i ate bread, lol). But it was all good, i went back to tracking once home, back to running routine and lost that gain in about a week. so i guess the lesson I learned here was that i stay on track when i track my food intake to be aware of my cal counts and make decisions on food accordingly. 3 years post op now, with many vacays under my belt since, im still tracking everything and im still basically the same weight (116.4 this morning)

Totally normal. By the end of the first week I could drink 8 oz in a few minutes with no discomfort and 16 oz in 10 minutes with no discomfort. You will feel discomfort with solid food if you have a few small bites in a few minutes and get a tightness or feeling "stuck" in your chest unless you go REALLY slow (I am just learning this). The liquids just go right through your stomach, so this has nothing to do with the size of your stomach.

Hello Bariatric Buddies (corny right? lol) I thought I'd come on here and share my experience so far for those who may be thinking about weight loss surgery OR are scheduled to undergo surgery soon. I started my bariatric surgery journey May 4th 2021 after YEARS of wanting to do it but not having the courage to start. At that point i was 298LBS. At my heaviest i was 305LBS. What prompted me to just go for it and conquer my fears was just wanting to be healthy again. I was tired of making excuses and as sad as it sounds i was tired of looking in the mirror every day staring at myself morphing into this person i no longer wanted to be. Fortunately for me, i didn't have any MAJOR health issues, however i did/do suffer from PCOS (Polycystic ovarian syndrome). For anyone who knows the struggles of PCOS you know trying fad diets and exercising isn't really helpful when trying to lose weight when your hormones are so imbalanced. Any who, going forward - i contacted my local bariatric surgery center and set up my initial consult. Since we're still being affected by covid, majority of my appointments were via video. My first consult they went over my eligibility requirements, health history and goals. After speaking with the nurse navigator they then scheduled my next visit with the Surgeon who would then change my life forever. So, two weeks later, i meet my surgeon VIA zoom (and let me say, i love that she was blunt, super honest and made sure my goals and perception of the surgery was realistic), she told me about herself, she asked me a few questions about my life, health history in depth, and she then went over my surgery options and what she felt would be my best choice (Gastric Bypass RNY). We ended the appointment on a good note. At that point i was feeling good, motivated and just proud of myself, like - GOSH, I'M FINALLY DOING THIS! At this point in the process, i have scheduled an appointment to get an EKG, chest X-RAY, cardiology, pulmonary, and a behavioral specialist. Over the course of 4 months i would complete each appointment and the specialists would send over their impressions over to the surgeon. September 3rd. I had my pre op class (with a dietitian). I signed a bunch of papers stating that i would not consume alcohol or use tobacco. I watched a video and then the dietitian stated that starting September 9th - until September 19th i will need to be on a full liquid pre op diet - at that point in the liquid diet you are not allowed to take any vitamin supplements, and or specific medications (they would go over that with you). September 9th came around and i started my three protein shakes a day, with drinking 64OZ of water until September 19th as advised. Let me tell you, that was the single most hardest thing that i have EVER done, but in the end i was so proud of myself. September 20th at 10:00AM i had to drink 10OZ of Magnesium Citrate to bowel cleanse in preparation for surgery the next morning. I spent all day in the bathroom. Around 1:30PM i received a call from the hospital letting me know what time i needed to be at the hospital for surgery the next day (9/21/21) which ended up being 7AM. I had so much trouble falling asleep that night as i was so excited yet SO nervous! Surgery day rolls around and i am up getting ready. We (my boyfriend and i) then make our way to the hospital, check in, and head to my pre op room to be prepped. They took my temperature, and my weight. When i started, i was 298 - the day of surgery i was 282LBS! At 9:40AM i went in for surgery and was in the OR for about 4HOURS. I spent about an hour and a half in recovery where they gave me 1OZ water every half hour, that would continue as i was transported to my room that i would stay for the next 24HOURS. My hospital stay wasn't bad, and my nurses/doctors were super attentive, supportive and courteous! They came in almost every hour to check my temperature, blood pressure, and incisions. I went home 9/22/21 at 9:40AM. 1st day home was challenging. I was in so much pain and discomfort. That quickly subsided as the days passed. But in those days, i attempted to drink water and protein and move around as much as possible because walking truly helps with the pain. Here i am 9 days post op and i am not at 100% yet but i am improving i still feel slight pain only where i have internal sutures, and i am gassy (like burping and stomach feeling bloated) - for that i use GAS-X - it's amazing! I currently weigh 273LBS which makes a total of 25LBS lost and 9LBS lost since surgery. 6 Day's post op i was back at work (I KNOW I KNOW I AM CRAZY - BUT I WORK IN AN OFFICE AT MY DESK MAJORITY OF THE DAY SO I AM OKAY).. Hopefully this helps! & if anyone has any questions, please feel free to ask :)

I went to India for a month in 2019. It wasn't all inclusive, but I ate more than I normally would (although I made it point NOT to overdo it). I came back about 5 lbs heavier, but probably half of that was water that was gone in a few days. The rest wasn't too tough to get off. Enjoy yourself - try different things - and just focus on not overdoing it.

I think most of us feel the same way you do! I was super scared of throwing up and feeling sick and I have not and I’m 4 months post op. Your fears are very normal! At the age of 19 you have sooo much ahead of you and you are saving your life now so you don’t have to fight for it later. Most ppl say their only regret is not doing it sooner so that is one regret you won’t have! Positive thoughts and enjoy your new adventure bc it will be amazing!

I will like to start of with saying Hi, I’m jazaysha. I’m a 19 year old that is 370 pound, and I’m tired of it. Ive been like this for too long every since the Risperdal lawsuit from j&j. Even though it’s been since 7th grad I was apart of that, I struggled with loosing weight. It just got worse and worse and im the biggest in my family!! I got approved and I’m excited but what makes me super nervous is that I’m afraid that my sleeve will make me sick all the time. I have a terrible phobia about throwing up, because in the past I had a eating disorder as I struggled with the weight in the past. Now I gained a fear of just vomiting or just nausea in general. It got so bad I called my lover on the phone crying because I’m so scared. the other fear is just my sleeve staples loosing and falling off. (I know that It’s really doubtful that happening but ya know I’m scared) I don’t have a choice, I need to do this for me. I planned on it so much and all I want to do is this but my fear and anxiety is like a deer on a empty highway. can anyone help me?!?!

Hi! doing well. My surgery is 10/4 and I'm also having hernia repair at the same time. I did pre-op with on 9/20, at my surgeon's office. I had my PAT Lab work on 9/27 and my COVID test is 10/1. I'm on the 2nd week of my 2 week, pre-op, liver shrinking diet. I also received all my post-op meds. During my pre-op, they decided to have me see a pulmonologist which was yesterday, for a last minute clearance!

Just received my surgery date and I'm excited and nervous. After losing my husband 4yrs ago I put on over 150lbs and actually ended up in the hospital & almost lost my life because of it. Promised my daughter I'd do whatever it took to not scare her like that again, so here I am 4 weeks out. I changed my whole way of eating but I have medical issues that prevent me from working out so I dropped the water weight but now struggling to drop more. Can I ask what it's like after the surgery to those who have had it? That is my biggest apprehension, I so want to be done with blood pressure diabetic and other meds so I can't wait to drop this weight so I can have my knee replacement and hernia surgery. Been living in a fog too long and I so want this for a better, healthier life.

Hi. I have had a lap band for 11 and half years. I lost around 100 lbs with it but it turned me into a bulimic because I could eat whatever I wanted and just "regurgitate" it back up. It was a bad cycle to be in, but it kept my weight off. Finally last year I went to my bariatric surgeon and confessed up. He did some tests and realized my esophagus was "floppy" and dilated. He did a complete unfill of my band at the time. I was able to maintain my original weight loss on the keto diet, but after 10 months I fell off the keto wagon and the weight QUICKLY returned. I gained around 50 lbs in 4 months!! I went back to my surgeon a year later and we have decided to remove my lap band and switch to the gastric bypass. He is not a fan of the lap band surgery anymore and is not recommending them to his patients. I have my surgery next week on October 6th. I am nervous because I am 52 now and postmenopausal. Im definitely not as active as I was when I first had my lap band surgery almost 12 years ago. How many people on this forum have had the lap band to bypass? How was their weight loss compared to the first surgery? What differences do you notice with restriction? Anyone having the surgery soon? or recently? Thanks in advance!

Get some protein shakes, broth soups, and other liquids you're permitted to eat/drink for the first week after surgery because you will not be able to lift much and these are heavy to get at the store. I ate a lot of Dannon Light and Fit Greek Yogurt because it is high protein. I ate the flavors that didn't have "fruit bits" in them (vanilla, toasted coconut vanilla, caramel, boston creme, banana...). I also strained Tom Yum and Hot and Sour soups I bought from restaurants nearby and this was amazing, because I didn't care for canned broth at all (yes, I could have made my own broth, but I need more flavor than broth provides). Start walking at least 10-15 minutes a few times a day, even just a slow pace. I was told it helps with recovery. Maybe buy some water flavor packets (stuff like crystal light, although I personally don't like that brand). Make sure it doesn't have caffeine, as some flavors do. We aren't permitted caffeine 2 weeks before to 4 weeks after surgery. Do all your laundry, cleaning, and dishes before your surgery, as this is hard to do right after surgery, as bending is hard. Get all the prescriptions you need. Taking pills after surgery is harder, but can be done.

I found even getting up from bed or walking around my apartment to be quite painful for about 4-5 days. By a week out I was good. I have 4-6 weeks restriction on lifting more than 10 lbs, so lifting a large bag of dog food might be off limits, though there would be no issue if you just had to scoop food out of it. The other thing to consider is whether the dogs will climb/jump/walk on your abdomen. That would probably be excruciating.

49yr Male, 5/18/20 VSG HW 382, SW 309, CW 217 First visit to the surgeon was 6/27/19 and first nutritionist visit was 7/3/19. Had a long pre-op program then was delayed by COVID-19, so wasn't sleeved until 5/18/20. Lost 73 pre-op, 92 since - for a total of 165 lbs down! I hit 218 in mid Dec 2020 and have been maintaining in the 213-222 range over the past 9 months. The next step for me is getting rid of the excess skin on my stomach. I carried most of my weight in my abdomen and it shows. I feel like this is the last thing I need to complete my transformation. While I could live with it, I am tired of "tucking" my excess skin into my pants. I can mostly hide it, but it is evident to me. Still 100% better than weighing almost 400 lbs. I am scheduled for an extended abdominoplasty in my local area on Thu 9/30/21. I am ready, but nervous (thus the 3am post on BP). I plan to post regularly over the coming weeks to document this for me and others on this forum. Thanks to all who have shared their PS stories before, especially the men, whose stories are rare. Wish me luck! 

Surgery is scheduled on 10/05/2021. Liquid diet started today. Super excited!

Hi sorry for never saying thank you for the reply was really helpful! Just updating for any future searchers, by huge coincidence, my surgery is now also scheduled for the 10 November 2021, wait times are about 6 to 10 weeks apparently average for Nuffield, and NHS had gone up to 5 years atm. Mines a bit on the quicker side as I am incredibly boring health-wise with no medications, risks other than obesity, or history of digestive issues of any kind.

Getting my banana stomach on the 11th of October don't know how I feel.... Excited nervous or scared maybe all three Sent from my SM-A215U using BariatricPal mobile app

Back in December of 2019, my wife (Girl friend at the time) decided to have sleeve surgery. I did the typical "You know this can kill you right?" and various other vocal concerns. But, knowing she is intelligent and having trust in her, I told her she has my 100% support. I got to see her go thru 6 month program, see all her paperwork and homework, and also learn while she learned. She had her surgery on Sept 20th of 2020. Since then I have been able to learnt he eat better myself since I did not want to eat terrible in front of her. As weeks went on after her surgery and I see her pain going away, and her smile getting bigger, I started thinking. Maybe I was all wrong about it. So At end of December I filled out the online forum for the program and waited. 2 weeks later, I get "the call" saying I have been accepted into the program. The whole time thinking I might go thru with it. Over the next 6 months or so I get upper endoscopies, ECG, blood work, have group sessions with head docs and nutritionists. During all these I keep getting more and more excited about the possibilities. August 6th I complete the program and wait for the call with a surgery date. Aug 13th my phone rang and the screen said "Stomach Cutters" (what I named the contact). She said September 16th, you are scheduled for the Sleeve surgery. By this time, my "maybe" of getting it was, "I want this now". I was super excited. I was all set for this! September 2nd I started my 2 week liquid diet. That night, I had a work function cook out... I made it thru. Stayed strong. Sept 4th, I have a friends campout pot luck ... stayed strong, made it! by the time The morning of surgery hit, I had lost 25 pounds on liquid diet and was ready. Surgery at 7:30am, Recovery room by 9am, room by 11am. Then I slept most of the day and night on and off. Met with my surgeon early next morning he said my liver shrunk so much during liquid diet I had one less incision. Great news. I was bored so walked around the unit a bunch to keep moving. Then got told I was discharged at 1pm. Rest of Friday, Saturday and Sunday was all about rest, sip sip sip, and recover. My wife, is nothing less than an angel. Support at home is amazing. My daughter who lives with us was amazing as well. Come Monday (4 days postop), I was back to work full time and ended up working 50 hours my first week. (Desk job at home that week for recovery). By day 7 out I was on pureed foods and by day 11 I was on soft foods. I get 40-60g protein a day, 48oz water a day and I am feeling great! Regrets? Yeah, not doing this 15 years ago!