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Your plan should list the foods you are able to eat & those you need to avoid at each stage. It should also say how long you stay on each stage. If it doesn’t, contact your team & ask for more specific information. Your tummy lets you know pretty quickly if you’re not ready. It may be discomfort on eating, a feeling of heaviness, you may regurgitate what you’ve eaten. It’s a lot of trial & error honestly. For example, most plans tend to advise 2 weeks on each stage. Some people stay a little longer on a stage or go back a stage simply because we heal differently & their tummy just isn’t ready for the foods (texture & density) on the next stage. Some foods are on the avoid list because they can be hard to digest by your healing tummy (bread, pasta, rice, seeds, fruit & vegetable skins, etc.). Other foods are off the list because of their nutrient content & calories (many plans are no starchy vegetables for e.g..). There may be foods on your list your tummy can’t tolerate (chicken breast, eggs often are a struggle few a while). Your tummy can be fussy while healing & the temporary change to our taste buds &/or sense of smell can make foods extra sweet, extra salty or just plain disgusting. Textures can be off putting too at this time. Many of us ate the same meals or rotated through a small selection especially in the first couple of months. One because we eat such small portions there’s lots of left overs. Two, because our fussy tummy & you can’t tolerate a wide variety of foods. Three it means you don’t have to think to much about food & what your going to eat & you know how much protein & other nutrients you’re getting with each meal. I still eat a lot to routine & often have the same meals & I’m almost 5 years out. It’s not that I can’t eat a variety of foods it’s just easier sometimes (or maybe I’m lazy LOL!). I struggled in purées to find foods that tasted good because the taste or texture was awful. Thank goodness for runny scrambled eggs, milky rolled oats, yoghurt & soups. In soft foods I ate a lot of minced meat dishes - savoury mince, meatballs (rissoles in Australia), bolognese (no pasta), etc., slow cooked stews, thick meat & vegetable soups, omelettes. Try some savoury egg muffins (add cheese, mushrooms, onions & other pre cooked vegetables you like) & a lot of people swear by ricotta bake (someone will have a recipe they’ll happily share).

This is my holy grail when I can't get ANYTHING else to work: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Dr-Tobias-Colon-14-Day-Cleanse-Advanced-Gut-Cleanse-Detox-Women-Men-Cascara-Sagrada-Psyllium-Husk-Senna-Leaf-Non-GMO-28-Capsules-1-2-Daily/429900136?athbdg=L1100&from=/search And if that doesn't move things along after 2 days, by day 3 I take 2 of these with 4 of these: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Equate-Stool-Softener-Plus-Stimulant-Laxative-Tablets-for-Constipation-120-Count/685416989?athbdg=L1600&from=/search I also increase my water intake by at least 20 oz. Works every single time.

I am turning 50 in a few months, and I've struggled with my weight most of my life. At 26, my BMI was probably around 30, but I didn't have the health issues so it was just a nuisance to me. I tried dieting and healthy eating for years, but my weight increased steadily in typical yo-yo fashion. Post-pregnancies, I spent my late 30s and early 40s in the 35-39 BMI range and started getting co-morbidities. By the time my BMI hit 40 this past year, I was aching in my feet and joints, had high blood pressure and cholesterol, and was prediabetic. So it's not about weight or appearance at this point but getting control of my health now, while my body can still bounce back and hopefully age more gracefully. I feel like I'm at that tipping point where if I don't act, the next decade will not end well and I will not have a good time of my senior years. This is despite all my best intentions and 7 years of actively going to a weight management doctor. All of that is to say that trying hard and knowing the right things to do rarely leads to success if you are prone to obesity. It's a disease, not a moral failing, no matter what people tell you. Unlike dieting, weight loss surgery provides lasting metabolic changes, as close to a cure as you can get. And you still will have to make all the lifestyle changes you would need to do anyway to lose weight, but they will actually work (instead of spending the next 24 years getting bigger and less healthy like I did). I have posted frequently about what a huge fan I am of Dr. Matthew Weiner's books, YouTube videos, and new podcast. Honestly, his books were life changing for me in terms of my perspective. I highly recommend starting there. He has 3 books, one is called Pound of Cure and gives great, scientifically sound information on what a healthy, set-point lowering way of eating looks like and how to get there. The second is a book that explains exactly how gastric bypass and sleeve surgeries change your metabolism and why they work (it's not just a smaller stomach and eating less!). The third is a cookbook with bariatric friendly recipes and serving sizes for different stages. These books are super fast reads. You can probably get through all three in a week (minus making all the recipes, of course!). With three months to go, my suggestion is get these books and start implementing the diet changes in a deliberate way. Start exercising in a sustainable way, working up to it little by little. See how you feel. Don't do crash diets. Don't start anything, whether food or exercise, you don't think you can basically do 90% of the time for the rest of your life, because there's no such thing as doing it for long enough to lose weight and then getting to "go back to normal." This has to become your new normal, with or without surgery. In three months, if you really aren't sure about the surgery, don't do it. It'll always be there. But know that it's an additional tool that will make the hard work you have to do either way in order to keep your health for the rest of your life more likely to stick. Without it, there's a very high (but not impossible) chance you will not be able to keep your weight in a healthy range.

Hey, February surgery buddies: February is next week! If you haven't already, this would be a great time to take your "before" photos and measurements. I see so many posts from people who wish they had remembered to do it before surgery, and lots of others who are so glad they did because it gives you a great non-scale victory to focus on during the process. Tips: Choose something form fitting to wear, such as exercise clothing, and plan to keep it so you can take your photo wearing the same thing once a month for the next year or more. Try to take the pictures in the same spot each time and choose a background without too much distraction, like a blank wall. Use good lighting. Get front, back, and side angles. No sucking it in or tricky poses to make you look smaller. Let it all hang out! As hard as it may be to look at the photos now, you'll appreciate it later when you can compare the results and truly see your progress If it's too hard to look at photos, don't opt out! Have your spouse or a best friend, someone you trust, take the pictures and keep them for you to look at later. For measurements, make sure you do the standard chest, waist, hips, and also get help doing your right and left biceps and thighs, plus calves and neck.

Oh yes the hunger returns. It was around a year for me too. Think you’ll find developing a better eating routine helpful with more complete meals. Ensure you’re including some vegetables or other food group with every meal. Will help ensure you’re meeting all your nutritional goals too. Maybe find a dietician to help with meal planning & menu ideas. They’re way more qualified than a nutritionalist. I know it’s easy to grab a few nuts & jerky for a meal but each are really just snacks. And I’ll put my hand up, I was guilty of grabbing a chicken tender I’d pre cooked from the freezer & reheating it for lunch while I was losing. It’s likely why you feeling hungry after you’ve eaten. Differentiating between head & real hunger is an important learning. Are you craving a specific food, flavour or texture? That’s head hunger. If you’ve eaten recently it’s head hunger. If you do something to distract yourself (go for a walk, water your plants, read, phone a friend, craft, check social media) & the hunger decreases it as head hunger. If you have a warm drink (like tea) & the hunger decreases again it’s head hunger. If your tummy is rumbling (hunger pangs) that’s usually head hunger too. Real hunger feels vey different to me. I feel restless like something is wrong. Don’t crave or want anything specifically. Takes a while to realise I’m hungry. And there is always a logical reason why I am hungry. I reached my goal at 6 months but lost another 11kgs in the next 11/12 months. The weight loss got slower & slower until I was losing grams a week. So don’t give up yet.

December 27th is going to be a very busy day! Regarding meal prep, I'm making room in my freezer now to freeze some favorites ahead of time. I'm also going to be teaching my daughters, 12 and 15, how to make some of the simpler meals they like. This way, after surgery, they can cook for themselves with minimal supervision. Which they should learn anyway! Meals like spaghetti, tacos, chili, shepherd's pie, and quiche, that barely even need a recipe. For myself, I have a cookbook I'm really looking forward to that covers bariatric meal prep. It has 6 weeks of meal plans and directions for making ahead and portioning. I'm using that and Dr. Weiner's bariatric cookbook for most of my new recipe ideas. Here's the meal prep one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1645674967 I'm choosing 1 or 2 new things to try making each week this month, hoping to have a few to add to the rotation that all of us will like, and some small containers to freeze for later.

I took it 3 weeks after my surgery as I came down with covid just a few weeks after my surgery. I took the pills as prescribed... so at their full size and at the normal dosage. It was fine. They also gave me tessalon pearls to help with the coughing as the coughing was really doing a number on my internal stitches.

Hey all, I have a bit of a dilemma. According to the FitBit watch I wear everyday, I burn on average around 3000 calories a day. I eat no more than 1,300 calories however, and drink my 2 litres of water but I'm unable to lose any more weight? I've been at this plateau for about 3 months now (which is annoying because I'm a stone away from my goal weight), either staying at exactly the same weight or adding 2/3 pounds a week and it's so frustrating. I can't find any info on why this may be the case, so I thought I would ask you guys to see if you could shed any light? If I'm burning more than I'm eating, surely I could be losing weight instead of gaining? I know muscle weighs more than fat and that it could just be me gaining the muscle I've been trying to build from strength training, but it's incredibly disheartening. The only time I seem to lose weight now is if I go on a 3-5 day liquid diet, but I shouldn't have to rely on doing that every week to lose weight, surely? More info below for context: - 8 months post op - A stone away from my goal weight - I consume as much protein as I physically can a day (between 40-70g a day) vitamins and water - I work out 4 to 5 days a week, mostly strength training with a bit of cardio - I'll probably have carbs 2/3 times a week. Sweet potatoes mostly. Perhaps a sandwich if I'm out.

Hello @MelP1970 and welcome into the forum. You are in a very strange and bewildering time in your recovery. You might be regretting your surgery, lots of us do. The fat cells that you are shedding so quickly at this point, contain your hormones. Fast weight loss means so many are coursing through your body now. Its like puberty all over again. I was so emotional and could not understand why. A kind soul on here put me right. It is a massive learning curve right now for you. Just relearning to drink is a full time job . You are lucky, like me, no hunger pangs. I also love to cook. Once I was physically able to cook again, I restarted feeding my family. I make my portion separately from theirs. For instance, If I make Lasagne for the fam, mine has no pasta and I use sliced baked aubergine instead. Having a wide knowledge of recipes has really helped me vary my food choices. I am 2+ years out and do not feel any loss issues because I can eat almost all the foods I could before surgery. I still have a few issues with certain foods that I adored pre surgery. For instance, I detest cooked salmon but make my own Gravadlax and it tastes divine to me. I hated eggs and now I find them delicious ! If I have carbs, its only a few spoons. I make own wholemeal, seeded bread. This means I can eat a sandwich. Its not the same as regular shop bought stodge which sits heavily in my stomach for hours and then gives me the foamies. I still enjoy eating but now a tiny amount suffices. Being thin feels better than eating huge meals. Long ago, I read that Parisienne women ate this way, a few forkfuls and they leave the rest. My immediate family are used to me eating what I can and putting the remainder in the fridge for a later snack. I have a friend that I eat out with once a week. It was hard in the beginning to find things I could eat on a menu but now I usually have a salad which to me is a joy. I love the variety and crunch. This forum has members all over the world. People post pictures in the ' Food before and after' page. I find things I have never heard of before. This leads to new recipes to cook and taste. TBH my menu has expanded now, my food is more nutrient dense and much better quality. Give yourself time to accept the changes and challenges. You will feel your normal self quite soon.

I saw the term, momentary "buyers remorse" on someone's thread the other day in reference to having bariatric surgery and last night I understood when I had a fatigue and anxiety melt down. I went back to school at age 48, once the majority of my kids were gone and I could spare the time. I take a full time course load, so my house gets deep cleaned now only during school breaks. This spring break I didn't expect to get much house and yard work accomplished, as I expected to be recovering from my sleeve surgery. But here I am, nine days after surgery and in the last days of spring break and I'm feeling great. My doc cleared me to do any physical activity that didn't hurt and I seem to have full energy, so I decided to go to work yesterday on a kitchen deep clean. From about 8 am until 11 pm (with breaks and liquid meals all day), I cleaned the fridge and pantry, scrubbed the oven, washed the microwave and toaster oven, dusted the tops of cupboards, washed drawer fronts and pulls, mopped- all of it. My kitchen looks like I just moved in. "Seemed" however is the operative word here. When I came up to go to bed, I was more exhausted than I've been in I don't know how long. And then, when I got a side stitch just off to the left of my tiny new stomach, I started to panic. I manage a somatic anxiety disorder and an attention deficit- and once in a while, particularly when I'm too tired, I have an epic storm that just has to run it's course. So, I paced around my bedroom hyperventilating for 20 minutes and rued my decision to have this surgery. All I could think is, "what have you done?!?" It was pretty awful. This morning I feel fine, aside from an emotional hangover, which is really just what the absence of adrenaline feels like after a panic attack. Other than that, I'm glad I had the surgery again. I'm going to do some light yard work today in between naps and offer myself a helluva lot more grace and leniency. And tomorrow, I'm going to have my first solid food (puree) that I've had in a couple of weeks. That first two tablespoon serving is going to be magical.

First, I'm wondering, why are you having the surgery? It doesn't sound like you're unhappy with how you look, you didn't mention if you have any comorbidities like joint pain, decreased mobility, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, etc, and you don't have stats (bmi) that would cause a lot of concern. Second, I've only seen 2 or 3 people on this entire site that have trouble with losing too much weight. Increase your calorie intake, maybe cut the workouts to half, and that shouldn't be an issue. But it's exceedingly rare. Third, you will likely have some regain. It's just par for the course. Not everyone does, but most people do to an extent. If you stick to the plan and move your body, it should be minimal, but it's unfortunately a reality. Lastly, you will shed hair. A lot of it. Most people do. There are a lucky few that don't, but it's a reality the majority of us can't escape. It happened with my first surgery and with my revision. I used volumizing and thickening shampoos and conditioners, cut my hair shorter (it was down to my butt when I had my surgery and I cut it to just touching my shoulders), and styled it a bit differently. And it was fine. Not one person could tell (except me) and once the shedding stopped, it started to regrow fairly quickly. It didn't come out in clumps, it was basically excessive shedding that I mostly saw when I was washing my hair in the shower. It's not like I was losing hair throughout the day and it was all over my clothes or anything.

I hate to cook too and still struggle to get as much water in as they want. I do get the minimum 48oz/day but don't always make the 64oz they want. I was so glad to stop eating cottage cheese and yogurt! I scoured the grocery isles for food that looked good and was easy to make (Or better, didn't require making). I have to admit I got a little bit of attitude about my diet when I was ALMOST, but not quite, meeting their calorie and water goals, telling them that I was struggling, and they scolded me and raised my goals. I have a spreadsheet that calculates calories and protein from every food I get with a nutrition label and buy low fat, low sugar foods so the calorie and protein count meets my goal. I got a frown from my nutritionist when I told her I eat ham every day, but I gave her a "look" and told her my calorie and protein goals were being met and she refrained from scolding me. I buy Kentucky Legend Bonless Quarter Sliced Ham because it doesn't have lunchmeat texture and I can just weigh out my portion and eat it cold. I got another frown when I told them I eat beef jerky, but reminded them that 100g of protein is hard to do, jerkey is low calorie and high protein, and I chew it VERY well and spit out gristle. If they have to cut a ball of gristle out of my stomach, then I'll stop eating beef. I switched nuts for peanut butter toast when I started getting hungrier. I eat a lowfat sharp cheddar with crackers. Quaker makes a protein Banana Nut Instant Oatmeal. I also eat 1/2 Atkins Chicken Margherita or Healthy Choice Simply Steamers Grilled Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo (1/2 is less than my 6 oz, but it's easier to just take half and eat the other half the next day and the math is easier too). Those 2 were the best my WalMart carries for frozen food Calorie/Protein ratio that I also liked. For an added vegetable I eat 2oz canned french style green beans with 1/2 oz Velveta low fat cheese heated in the microwave. Tyson makes a fajita chicken that microwaves well if you put a dollop of water on the plate. Turkey bacon doesn't really satisfy my bacon cravings, but turkey sausage is really good. If I'm craving sweets I'll eat a Quaker Caramel Rice Cake or a few dark chocolate chips. Luckily I crave salt, not sweets, and the salt cravings have almost gone away. If I'm going to be away from home for a few hours I pack an insulated lunch bag with a serving of ham, cheese and crackers, and jerkey to take with me. If I'm going to be gone for a day or longer I pack my food in bags and a cooler. I got married a little more than 3 months after my surgery and ate what I wanted at my wedding and during the honeymoon, I just kept the servings really small and took protein with me to make sure I still got enough protein and because I needed to eat more than 3 times a day. After that, I allowed myself one meal out each week, eating my 6oz and taking the rest home. Hubby ate most of the leftovers. After I reworked my diet to include tastier, real food, I switched my protein powder to a Collagen with the added missing amino acid. It mixes best with warm or hot liquids and was approved by my nutritionist. I still use 2 scoops a day, 1 with my protein oatmeal and 1 with my sugar free hot apple cider. I met my goal weight at 7 months, just in time for a Halloween party, and I allow myself a small cheat almost every day (my nutritionist told me to add 100-200 cal per day to stop losing weight and i decided to add a tasty snack rather than rework my diet). I watch my weight to make sure I'm not overdoing it. If I eat out, that's my cheat and it replaces a meal. I order what I want and ask for a container BEFORE the food is served so I can pack away all but 6oz before I start to eat. Some cheats aren't really cheats. I've added in apples, pineapple, strawberries and mango. Breyers Carb Smart Fudge Bars have 50 calories, 3g fat, 2g sugar (0 added), and 1g protein. It's only a cheat because of the low protein/cal ratio. Pure Protein bars could be a meal substitute instead of a cheat and have 180-200 cal, 3-4.5g fat, 2-3g sugar, and 19g protein. I like the Chocolate Salted Caramel that's a little chewy and the Chocolate Mint cookie, which has more of a grainy (cookie) texture but tastes really good. At a party, I may eat a bag of chips (~150cal), or I may give in and eat a single Reese's cup (105 cal). OK, maybe a bag of chips AND a single Reese's cup, I'm weak. Dot's Seasoned Pretzels have 130cal per oz. An entire bag of buttered flavored popcorn has 150cal (DO NOT LICK THE BAG). It's nice to eat something tasty and not worry about if it has enough protein. I just had my 9 month bloodwork done, it's all fine.

Oh no way are you too far gone at this early stage OP! If you can re-read your surgeon's rules and stick to them then you will be absolutely fine. I think there's an in-between stage for all of us when we *can* eat things that aren't on our programme but we know we shouldn't. It's because our healing stomachs don't perceive the solids or carbs or whatever and don't warn us to stop because they can't. When they heal up properly about 8 weeks after surgery you won't be able to eat more than your programme allows. Until then I would advise you to stick to the letter of the law. Carbs have little or no place in your food at the minute, you have plenty of time to reintroduce them over the next year or two. Soup - yes! Allowed protein - yes! (I say eggs all ways). There are loads of tasty things you'll be permitted and so much time to eat the others. Welcome to your new life x

I bought mine from this site the Bariatric Pal version. My program requires I take a multi with 45 grams of iron and this site had exactly what I needed, I did not know before I bought them how long I was required to crush my pills or use a chewable, so I bought the 3 months supply. After surgery, I found out I only needed to crush or use chewable for one month. That is okay though because I do not mind the chewable. Now to save a few dollars I bought the pill form of calcium citrate from Walmart and honestly I was so sick of crushing that horse pill and having it ruin my food over the course of 2 weeks AND after my first post-op appointment, I was told when I am done with the month of crushing, I would need to cut the horse pill, of calcium citrate in half to take it. This prompted me to just spend the money and buy the chewable from this site as well, and I am so glad I did. Both the multi and the calcium citrate are the bariatric pal brand. On my first day of taking the chewable multi, I did think it was gross, but on the second day, it tasted good. (this was right after surgery of course). I will be buying the year's supply of multi pills for $99 when I finish the ones I already bought, because that is the best deal since I did buy 3 months worth, and that will get me through to my first blood test and I will know if I should keep the same iron level or change it before I buy a years worth. As for the calcium citrate, I can't promise I will be the model patient, regarding taking it (and no, for anyone wanting to course correct me, I do not want a list of reasons why I should thank you ). But will likely keep with the chewable because I do not want to put the effort in of having to keep a pill cutter on me and make a production of cutting my pills around people. I can just throw some chewables in a bag and call it a day.

I agree 1200 calories seems like way too many at week 2! That many calories is usually once you are in maintenance. I agree with others, when your weight gets "stuck" get off the scale and stick to the plan. It can be very discouraging when you dont see the scale move and then it does a mental number on us. It makes us think why did i do this and give up all the things i used to love to eat if the scale is not going to move. That could lead to going back to old ways of eating. You do want to make sure you are eating enough though so you dont put yourself into starvation mode. If you arent eating enough, your body will hold onto what it can. As long as you are measuring yourself monthly and you see inches going down, you are on the right track. When i get stuck i stay off the scale for awhile. Do you have a nutritionist? if not i would consider getting one. They know more about food than the surgeon.

I'm right at 5 months, and over the past few weeks, it has become HARD. In the beginning, I was dropping weight, had zero interest in food, and was totally motivated. But since the beginning of July, I've lost a pound. Actually, I've lost and gained and lost and gained that one pound multiple times. I've started feeling hungry sometimes again, and that's triggering all sorts of bad behaviors like getting up when I'm trying to avoid work (I work from home) and looking in the cupboard for a snack, not to mention craving sweets. It's been a constant fight. Not getting that reward of watching the scale dropping all the time kind of saps the motivation, I think. And the novelty wears off and you start to realize that you're in this for the long haul and maybe you start to rebel a little. You're not alone. You say you're afraid of being judged, but you are judging yourself every time you do things you know you shouldn't do. You said it yourself. You're disgusted by what you're doing, but there's a reason you're doing it, and figuring that out is going to be the key to stopping it and changing. I feel like there is probably a voice you hear in the back of your head telling you that you can't do this. Maybe there's literally someone saying it to you in your life, but most likely it's a voice in your head from a long time ago, one that sounds like you but probably was someone else when you first heard it. For me, it's my grandmother, and to some extent my dad. Never happy, never praising. Expecting perfection and scolding "for your own good" over every little thing. Ridiculing my weight despite being overweight themselves, but also overfeeding me because that's what they knew. Food was the enemy, but also a reward from emotionally stunted caregivers who had no other way to show affection. When you can never fully meet expectations at a young age, you learn quickly that you will always fail. That may be the role you've played in your family. Maybe it's everything, or maybe just one thing, like being overweight. And when you start to succeed, it feels frightening because it challenges everything you have been taught to believe about yourself. If you're not "the fat friend", who are you? Or maybe being "the fat daughter" kept a jealous family member happy because you weren't "competition" that way. There are so many reasons we get into these patterns. But the point is, the patterns feel normal and safe. So you make sure you don't succeed and change too much or for too long. You're used to being disappointing to yourself. You can live with that. But admitting you're capable of succeeding and changing is really scary. Allowing yourself to challenge the roles other people want you to fulfill is the hardest thing you can do. At least that's my experience. As for how to change, my first suggestion is talk to your team. That's why they're there, and they know what's going on because they've seen it before. Face it head on. Nothing they say is going to be any worse than what you are saying, and doing, to yourself. If you can get set up with a therapist, even better. Second, get every source of temptation out of the house. The alcohol. The junk food. Whatever is making you stumble, get rid of it. Do your shopping online from now on, or curbside pickup because it is way easier not to give into temptation that way. You can't binge on what you don't have. But skip the gym. It's really only about 10% of your success, anyway. Focus on water, protein, and vitamins. You don't need the false guilt of the gym to make everything worse. And third, get help from people you trust who are close to you if you can. Accountability is key. If going out to eat is an issue, tell your friends or family that you need their help not letting you go out to eat. Explain why you can't be around snacks, or why you won't be ordering alcohol, and ask for their help. If you trust even one person in your life to tell what is really going on, tell them. You need another voice cheering you on instead of just your own head bringing you down. Bottom line, something about what you are doing right now feels comfortable to you. It's a pattern that you can live with, even if you hate it. Something about what you were doing when you were following the rules was making you uncomfortable. Figure out what and why. You can't change your habits until you change that voice in your head, and until you can love yourself and cheer yourself on instead of being your own worst judge. But you have to believe you're worth it and be willing to do things that scare you in order to get past this fog and get to where you want to be.

I woke up in recovery hungry. True hungry, not head hungry. I would have even eaten seafood at that point and I hate seafood as a rule. LOL I've maintained that hunger as I've been recovering. I'm just not one of those that lost it. But I am observing my team's rules of only eating 1/4 to 1/3 cup of food at a time, chewed really well, slowly. I know nerves have been cut so messages aren't getting through. I experienced this with my hysterectomy too, it took months for everything to work normally again, my bladder was confused for 6 months. I think they say it can take 3 months for your stomach signals to get back to their new normal. I woke up this morning at 7am starving!! I ate tuna fish. LOL I love that rule about asking if chicken breast will work. I find if I'm hungry a simple, unadorned protein sounds good. If it is head hunger I'm craving chips or chocolate.

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.

Yes, I was told 64oz, yet I'm honestly only getting +-48oz. I KNOW I should be getting more, but I'm just not thirsty and I get busy/sidetracked and forget because I'm not thirsty so I don't get my required in. So much f I'm not getting close to my goal how could I be over hydrated? I know its silly to worry since I have my appointment this week..but I still wonder. I'm a need to know person, A laboratory manager ..so its just who I am..researcher! "I honestly don't think I've ever had my hydration level tested, so I have no clue about that one! Have you been eating any high sodium foods? Or started doing strength-training recently? Both can cause some Water retention. Other than that...??? high WBC usually means you're fighting an infection - although I just googled albuterol, and you're right - it can increase white blood cell count. That could be what's going on. I would imagine that if you were early out of surgery and your body was trying to heal, that could cause an increase as well - but since you're six months out, then no - probably not that. More likely water retention or the albuterol. Let us know what they think...I'm curious." - Catwoman7 No, I don't ever add sodium and my diet is low in sodium, so its not edema. This is why I'm worried - if it was a diet with excessive sodium I'd not worry. No on strength training "lately".. just light hand weights which I've been doing for months. Regarding the high WBC count, I don't have a known illness/cold/sick.. Thank you for your questions and potential reasons. I guess I'll know soon enough and I'll PST the doctors answers.

I actually did the math and took it to my surgeons office asking exactly how did they expect me to do it!? I further explained I'd have to drink right up to bedtime and sleep was just as important in the healing process, so if I drank just before bed..I'd be getting up several times in the night. I was told they "know right out of surgery there is no way to get in the entire water requirement." They just want you to try. My math (basic because I suck at math): Average "day" (excluding time for activities you can't be actively drinking water i.e. driving, showering, different tasks at work): 12 hours No drinking water 30 mins before and after and during a meal: 90 mins+- 90 x 3= 270/60 = 4.5 hours per day you aren't allowed to drink 12 hrs a day +- - 4.5 can't drink. = Leaves you 7.5 hours to get down 60+-oz each day 7.5 hours to get down 60oz each day @ 2oz. max each "drink" = .12 to get your sip in. In other words not real easy or possible if you also add nauseous! This isn't taking into consideration snacks (which I didn't do and still don't). Needless to say they found me funny. I wasn't going for "funny!" Said they'd never had a patient break it down before. I told them I'm a Histologist who manages a laboratory measuring in microns/millimeters/centimeters etc. everyday what did they expect?.. Perhaps they should have done the math before asking patients to do something! I asked who has time for that!? That's when they said to work up to it, its not expected for awhile, to just try..its a goal to shoot for. Eventually you'll be able too. So no worries, just do the best you can! 😆

I have to wait until two week post op visit to start purée. Started some back pain today. I think I’m just carrying myself differently to be gentle on my stomach.

Hello Everyone! I am also new to the community. I am having a gastric sleeve on 12/27. I have been investigating the sleeve for many years, but the timing is finally right. I had my first appointment with my surgeon in the beginning of August and got the go ahead two weeks ago. I've been reasearching, prepping, and planning my butt off! 😊 Looking forward to sharing the journey with all of you!

Courtnay, you have my sympathy, and yes it can be normal after a major surgery in that all the anesthesia and pain relief make those signals more dull, and you're less likely to rouse/awake normally at those cues. Of course sharing with your surgical team but it's not likely to continue. There are just so many mixed signals going through your body right now. I think it's kind of you to want to filter what you write here so as not to scare others but I'll go ahead and say that my fears are there and they're not dislodging🤣. Surgery is 2 weeks from tomorrow for me, I'm starting the liquid only diet tomorrow and I'm already pissed😂. I can't seem to stop borrowing from tomorrow. Le sigh.

Remember your weight loss isn’t a straight line in a downward trajectory. it zigs & zags & goes up & down for seemingly no reason. There aren’t any ‘you must weigh this, be eating this many calories, be doing this much activity, be losing this much weight by a certain date’ rules. There are just guidelines, averages, may bes & could bes. I agree with the suggestion to talk with your team. Track your food for a week or so first, just to ensure you’re not missing something (it can be easy to do). But I don’t it’s real weight gain in such a short period of time. Yes fluid retention, poop, hormonal fluctuations, etc. Could all contribute. Have you had a medication change? Have you changed your activity in any way? Are you stressed, anxious, etc. about anything? And sometimes our bodies can just be weird & not make sense. I can eat the exact same things for a couple of days & my weight can go up & down. I can break a couple of days of constipation & still weigh more. Who knows why?

I sent a message to my bariatric office along with some pics. They said it looks fine to them and it is possibly my immune system just being in overdrive slightly. I did also send the pic of the blisters around my CGM sensor to my diabetic office to see if there's anything in particular I can do for that one. The response was to spray Flonase on my skin and allow it to try before attaching a sensor. So I guess that means I need to take my sensor off. I'll deal with it in a bit. Too much energy to walk up the stairs at the moment. Next stress on the list - I return to school for my masters degree on the 26th. Timing, y'all. LOL But in good news for me, World of Warcraft's new expansion hits early release for those of us crazy enough to preorder tonight. So I'll have something to keep me entertained hopefully while I'm taking times of rest. (Also time to mute all the people so that no one spoils anything for me.) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @ShoppGirl Thank you for the idea about the proffee. I've decided I'm going to test the limits of my lactose intolerance and get some Premier Protein to see if I can handle it, and that sounds like a good way to have it. I need to go buy decaf coffee as I don't currently have any. I've been drinking Protein 2O since before surgery. They're not bad but they leave my mouth feeling super dry. I'm guessing that's the protein in it. But the Protein 2O are only 15g of protein. Which ones are you drinking that are 20g? I'm very curious. I haven't noticed any white chunks on my tongue after drinking any protein drink at this point. Just the dryness from the Protein 2O. If it happens with others and not the Premier, but you're also drinking the Premier with coffee... it may be the coffee that's helping? I'm not sure on this one. I hope your trip to your crochet group went well. If you need to get up and walk around for five minutes during the group, definitely do so. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @Hiddenroses I'm going to talk to my husband about ordering that GENEPRO that you mentioned and ShoppGirl mentioned. I need something to help those numbers along lol. Though two of his coworkers had the same procedure done, and they said you never eat for flavor again. You just eat because you have to eat. Which is slightly depressing but if it gets my health back... I'm still going to try to have flavor and such as I go along, but the GENEPRO is probably going to help me out in the puree stage a lot. Right now I'm surviving on protein shakes and protein water. And yay for the pillow working! It's been a lifesaver for me, honestly. I couldn't get up and down in certain chairs without it. Okay, I'm legit jealous that you got a foaming pump style bottle of the stuff. I was literally given 2 packets of the gel and had to use both the last two showers before surgery. So they gave me nothing else for after that. I think I might feel better about showering if I had more of the stuff. Oh, well. Beggars can't be choosers, I guess. lol ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @RRenaeL23 Look at you, go getter! A mile and a half one week post-op? Holy cow! I'm definitely not up to that yet, so congrats on your achievement! I've got a cart started of things that I'm looking at on BariLife.com. Not sure about Clean Simple Eats, but that's another resource you might want to look into for getting smoothies and such. It's where I got my vitamins. This cart is currently things I want to run past the hubby to see if we can get for my puree stage, which should be after Wednesday if I can ever meet my fluid and protein goals beforehand. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @Pepper_No_Salt I'm looking into that variety pack on Amazon myself. I'm beyond tired of the mixed berry at this point, since it's the only flavor in town that I can drink currently. lol Definitely take it easy if you are hurting a lot. I know I tend not to take my pain pills unless I'm pushing an 8 on the pain scale, but you also definitely don't want to do more damage to yourself. I have no idea how you have managed to hit your water and protein goals already, my surgery twin, but congrats to you. I'm definitely on the struggle bus with that one. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @Justarwaxx Did they not give you any contact information? That's so bizarre. My team gave me the contact information like five times to make sure I had it. Are the calories you are consuming from things on the plan? If so, then I don't think it would be a problem. But definitely make sure you reach out and try to find someone to contact to help alleviate your anxiety. I will also say that calories were not mentioned to me by my bariatric team. They are not concerned with calories as much as protein and carbs overall. Fruit and oats were also not on any of my liquid stages, like ShoppGirl said. But if they are okay with it for you, then it sounds like you are doing everything right by your team. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lots of love to anyone I missed! We got this! Everyone who just had surgery, I hope you are healing well. And everyone waiting, it will be worth it.