Search the Community

Went for a hike this past week and had a small apple pie soft serve ice cream! The view was great, the ice cream was just meh.

After breast reduction, my surgeon put me in compression wraps- bustline to hip, just to pull everything in. They did the same after my sister’s tummy tuck— id look to something more like that- it was surgical compression with velcro— it SUCKED to wear, but it was required for about 6-8 weeks. As earlier advised, dont do something too tight, but it could be supportive.

Hi there, I just found this site after googling because I haven't been feeling very good and haven't been losing weight. My sleeve was 7/20. I had to go to the hospital the day after for uncontrolled vomiting and dehydration. Since then I've been struggling with nausea. I'm hungry but if I eat anything that seems to control the hunger, I have dumping syndrome- pain, nausea, spasms, feel terrible. I know the first week, I gained weight from all of the fluids and that has come back down, but I haven't lost any more. I'm worried that I made a mistake.

Before surgery I lost 50 pounds. I mostly tried to do a low carb diet and made sure I always had healthy snacks on hand. I also tried to walk on the treadmill at least a couple times a week. I also would allow for a cheat day here and there to get in favorite meals and restaurants one more good time before surgery. I was able to stick with the diet pre op when I knew I would eventually reward myself.

Well my Sh:t Show continues, on Tpn 12 hrs a day, and now saline iv 1 a week to make sure i stay hydrated.. Met with docs again.. they still keep saying give it time, it should improve...My GS was May 8th how much more time? and the doc wont give a timeline. i am now taking 5 different meds for nausea, puking and acid reflux.. even with all that I still struggle every day.. I am tempted to have revision and have them do a bypass to see if it will stops all this. Wish i could find someone who this happened or happening too,, and i pray no one has to go though this, it is exhausting,

I had to have a revision for other reasons, but I can tell you that you lose a lot less with it than the initial surgery. I'm 5 weeks post op, and I've lost 16 pounds. This time last year, I had lost 30. So you lose roughly half as much with a revision as you do from the initial surgery. Revisions tend to be worth it more if you have complications from the initial surgery (like I did). Additional weight loss isn't really a huge reason since you lose slower and less than the original surgery.

I make 3 months on the 15th. I am currently down 83 pounds since pre opp diet and 73 down since surgery. I am doing everything possible to hit my protein goal each day working out 4-5 days a week at a gym. Just sign up for a personal trainer to meet once a week. I have started to allow my self a chip or two when my family eats Mexican food at home after I had my dinner. I am craving crunch and pickles have been my friend. I hope all is going well for y’all as well.

I make 3 months on the 15th. I am currently down 83 pounds since pre opp diet and 73 down since surgery. I am doing everything possible to hit my protein goal each day working out 4-5 days a week at a gym. Just sign up for a personal trainer to meet once a week. I have started to allow my self a chip or two when my family eats Mexican food at home after I had my dinner. I am craving crunch and pickles have been my friend. I hope all is going well for y’all as well.

Well, the detox from carbs really helps curb the hunger. I'm a teacher, and I'd have a protein shake for breakfast, another for lunch, then at home, eat a really good solid meal (no bread, tortillas, pastas, or sides but enough protein to fill me up) and then another shake as a snack after dinner. Also, it's extremely important to DRINK WATER ALL DAY. At first, yes, I wanted to snack and graze, but after the first week it was much easier. Being in the classroom from 7AM-5PM also really helped a lot too. I'm literally in front of my kids all day working, so it's not like I can walk away to eat, Lol! But it does get easier after a REAL detox from carbs. Your moods don't swing and your mind gets clear. It's like a brain fog lifts.

I detoxed from carbs and alcohol. It was difficult for only about the first 3 or 4 days. The less you eat carbs the less you crave them. I did 3 protein shakes and one solid, super low carb meal a day. Lost about 30 lbs in 30 days before I even started my 2-week pre-op liquid diet.

As part of the workup for my gasrric sleeve procedure, I had to have an endoscopy, in order to determine if I had GERD & how bad it was. Well, it turned out that mine was BAD, so 6 mos. before I had my gastric sleeve, my doctor told me that I would need a procedure called a fundoplication, which relieves the GERD, since GERD only gets worse after the sleeve procedure. In fact, he wouldn't do the sleeve unless I had the fundoplication surgery. So I had it & in July 2021 I had the sleeve. I can count on one hand the number of times I have experienced GERD since having the fundoplication. And it was good preparation for the sleeve, since the dietary restrictions for the first 6 weeks were very similar.

I wondered about them as well. I've used girdles and waist cinchers throughout the years since Middle School. I waited until my incisions were completely healed on the outside because I thought if I sweat, the moisture and bacteria will cause an infection on the incision sites. So, now, they've all healed up and I tried on the one I just bought. Man, it was painful! I don't know if it's due to the fact that I've gone years without one or because I'm still healing on the inside. I thought I'd give myself another few weeks and try again. IMO, maybe wait until all incisions on your tummy are healed because added moisture could cause bacteria and infection.

Awesome to hear of y’all’s progress! Synlee, I hope you are getting some relief, or at least some answers and hope going forward. I am almost done with my travel-palooza (28 days of travel in a 41 day span). The diet has been a little wheels off, mainly around alcohol (have a few frozen cocktails on the beach). Been doing good at home and decent overall, but will need to rededicate myself next week once I am back home for good. All that being said, I couldn’t be happier with my results. Down 69 from starting (53 from surgery date), and closing in on 250. My face is much thinner now and I have dropped a size or two in clothes. Daily energy has been good, but I have noticed a huge change in my energy and strength levels while working out. I feel like I am running at 50-60% of what I was at pre-surgery. Everything I have read said that gets better as the caloric intake increases, so I am not too worried about it. also reading an interesting book called Wheat Belly that talks about the damaging effects of modern wheat, and I think it has convinced me (along with the general guidelines from my doc) to move to a paleo type diet long term (very very low carb).

Crossing my fingers, it may still be in August. I should hear sometime this week.

@Synlee how are you faring? I think of you often. @LindsayT I'm doing really well. I'm still losing weekly, with only one stall at 2 weeks out. Last month I lost 5 kilos, I'd be delighted to lose that each month. If I did I would reach my major goal around a year out. I'm having to remind myself to celebrate the entire journey and the accomplishments along the way. Because if I focus on the end goal it feels so far away and can become quite a depressing thought. Do any of you have a Ninja Creami? It's been a game changer for me, making it so much easier to meet my protein goals. I make high protein frozen yoghurt, so dang delicious! The batch I have at the moment is 23.6 grams of protein per half cup, low carb and low fat. Definitely noticing changes in clothing sizes too which is wonderful. I'd love to know how everyone else is going, please check in.

In my 7th week post-op and I finally felt like everything came together today. I felt good, I had a great workout, my nutrition was on point and I only have 8oz of water left to drink for the day. I have to celebrate this win today - there were days of struggle and hating the protein drinks, and craving crunchy carbs, but I got through it and that lets me know I can get through hard times and cravings! it’s been so hard to get to 700-800 calories and get all my water in - but I did it today! make sure to celebrate those wins!!

I echo the advice to go back to your surgeon for guidance & if you haven’t got one, find a dietician/nutritionalist with experience supporting wls patients. There are differences in plans, your very quick cycle through the return to eating stages as an example. But we ourselves are very different & consequently have different needs. For example I’m shorter, probably older, likely had a different weight loss/gain history, had no comorbidities before surgery & aren’t very active. I wasn’t given calorie goals only portion size: 1/4 - 1/3 cup from purée slowly increasing to about a cup at goal which was 6 months. I remember for months it would take me three days to eat two scrambled eggs. I could eat one egg at 6 months - just the egg nothing else I didn’t have to track calories but I know I was barely consuming 300 in around the soft food stage & was barely eating 900 calories at 6 months. My plan did not allow for any rice, pasta or bread at any stage while losing. Beat advice is to go slowly & be more tentative with your food choices while you are healing (& it does take a few weeks). The staged return to eating we work through is to protect & not strain your healing tummy & support your recovery. Remember all those staples & sutures holding your tummy & digestive system together & all the nerves that have been cut too. All the best with your recovery & weight loss.

Hello. I had my gastric sleeve surgery done on July 10th. I am in the USA, so I am a bit jealous of the folks overseas in the UK and Europe with lax restrictions. My team also seems to have some of the strictest restrictions from what I've researched online. I was on clear liquids for 7 days following surgery. After that, I was on a full liquid diet for 13 more days. During this time I've only been consuming protein shakes, sugar free gelatin and sugar free pudding, low sodium beef and chicken broth, and strained healthy request campbell's cream soups(cream of chicken, celery, mushroom, tomato). I've only been getting 300-400 calories a day. Its a struggle for me to get enough protein and my 64oz of clear liquids a day. It isn't that my body won't tolerate what I am putting in, but I am trying to do everything exactly as dictated by my treatment team. I can eat more than 2oz of yogurt at once, but they say to limit portions to that. I can put 6oz of soup in my stomach without any pain or discomfort, but they say only 1/4 to 1/2 cup at once. As for liquids, I am a gulper. I am used to drinking in excess of 1-1.5 gallons of clear sugar free liquids a day.(mostly crystal light iced tea mix). I am finding it so hard to take a sip and remember to keep taking sips. I usually just drink down 16oz and move on. Like others have mentioned, I too am able to drink more than I am supposed to without any discomfort. I am not doing it on a regular basis however, because I am terrified of complications. Also, I know I will have a much easier time of mastering my new lifestyle and diet changes moving forward if I learn and practice moderation early on. So for that reason I have been following my teams' advice verbatim. Until today that is. I decided to move on to the pureed food stage a day early. I went back to work last Tuesday, having taken roughly 2 weeks off for my recovery. My first two days were good. I had more energy than normal and enjoyed being back in the grind of things(pun intended, I am a butcher. :P) Yesterday and today, however, I've been dizzy, light headed, and my balance has been off. Also I've had a lot of muscular pains, more than before surgery, in my back and neck and sides. my blood pressure during one of these episodes was 88/41. I self diagnosed myself as having hypotension brought on by dehydration and possible lack of protein in my diet. So I left work early today with two bags of groceries to fuel my pureed stage of my diet, and set off to make up some egg salad, pureeing the eggs with nonfat greek yogurt and light mayonaise. I ate 2oz of that to test my stomach's reaction, and I didn't have any discomfort at all. This evening I made some adult baby food from 1 pound of skinless boneless chicken thighs, which I boiled, drained, chopped, seasoned, then pureed with a cup of low sodium chicken broth. I added 2oz of my chicken paste to 4oz of my creamy cheddar and mushroom(strained) soup, and that was dinner. At the moment it was the greatest thing I've ever eaten. As a Carnivoire pre-surgery, I really missed eating meat. I feel better tonight after getting more protein, and having gotten my 64oz+ of clear liquids in me. I am a bit concerned though, aside from my stomach gurgling and being a little gassy and occasionally bloated, I've had absolutely no adverse reactions like vomiting, nausea, trouble swallowing, or feeling really full. Maybe it is because I've adhered to what my treatment team told me to do, or maybe it is the slow pace of their rules. Here's the full list: Week 1 - Clear liquids. Weeks 2 & 3 - Full liquid diet. Weeks 4 & 5 - Pureed foods. Weeks 6 & 7 - Soft foods. Week 8 - Slowly start to introduce regular healthy low fat foods. The saving grace to all this is the fact I have no physical hunger, so it is easier for me to stick to this restrictive, slow pace. I think I am going to stick with it instead of trying to eat something 'normal' too early, risking injury. My total nutritional info for today: 588 calories, 29g fat, 63g protein, 18g carbs, 1,679mg sodium. Today I've eaten the most calories in a single day post-op.

Hi guys. I was just approved by my insurance to have the sleeve done. I’m 5’1 225. My goal weight is 155🙏🏼 I have to start my meetings with the psychiatrist & nutritionist. Having my colonoscopy next week. I can’t wait to have this done. Took forever to finally qualify! Any advice for me??

Hi OP - I am a little concerned as to whether french toast is considered a soft food in your program. I have a sleeve so feel free to ignore, but I didn't have bread for some months after my surgery - it takes up a lot of room and gives almost nothing back in the way of nutrition. In addition to that, in the weeks immediately after surgery your stomach will be healing. Nerves have been cut that need to grow back. Sometimes we can't feel our restriction so we need to stick to tried and tested rules. Might it be worth trying the generally recommended progression: clear liquids - full liquids- pureed foods - soft foods - that most of us are asked to, even though you haven't been? Especially if your own program is causing you concern. Other than this I echo everyone else - please speak to your team and clarify what you can and cannot have right now.

I can't have yogurts or juices, or skim milk until after my surgery. I think they do the "lean and green" as an option because it helps clean you out. 😉 I started drastically decreasing my actual food intake to once day 30 days ago. So that has helped. I've lost 13 lbs since beginning of June. I'm hoping I can lose at least 10 the next 2 weeks of doing this. My hardest part now that I'm not actually eating is drinking enough water. I just don't get as thirsty and I have to make myself drink.

Not being able to feel restriction is usually pretty common till you get past the soft food stage. I remember thinking the surgery didn't work for me either, till I started eating regular food at 5 weeks. It was then I really felt the I'm full pain. I have since learned when to stop before it gets to that point. Liquids and soft phase were pretty easy for me. I still go back to it sometimes when my tummy is not feeling so good. Just be careful that you don't eat more than you should. Especially this early out. You don't want to pop a staple or blow out your stomach. Extremely dangerous. Nerves have been cut too during your WLS and can contribute to why you aren't feeling that restriction. Give them time to heal. At this point you want to go by how much your Dr recommends eating because you can't trust that not feeling restriction phase. I could always eat more than 2 TB of food but never allowed myself over 1/2 C early on. Also wait 30 minutes to an hour after eating to drink. If I don't, liquids won't stay down. I would concentrate right now more so on getting all your liquids in. Good luck!! Here's what my nutritionist recommends: 5 weeks to 6 months: 600-800 calories, 65-100 g protein, less than 45 g carbs, less than 30 grams fat. 6 months to 12 months: 800-1000 calories, 65-100 g protein, less than 60 g carbs, less than 35 grams fat. Over 12 months: 1000-1500 calories, 65-100 g protein, less than 75 g carbs, less than 30-60 grams fat.

Congratulations on your surgery and doing so well. In Europe we seem to be given a little less rules and strict regulations than our forum friends based in the USA. Your team do seem to have the most laid back approach that I have come across. I had 4 -6 weeks of baby type foods until my stomach was healed and went on to normal foods. 1. Ask your team because everyone has a surgeon with a different idea of what a pre op or post op diet should be. 2. I had a wicked restriction so only managed 300 calories for the early months. 1200 - 1500cals a day is where I am now. It doesn't really help you because your team may want you on much more. 3. Many foods are slider foods. Cake, biscuits, crackers, chocolate etc. You will not feel any restriction eating these. They just slide on through. 4. At about 6 to 12 weeks, your real restriction will kick in. It happens when your stomach has healed and your nerves begin to knit together again. Hydration is a different matter all together, if you can eat so many calories ? why can you not drink enough?? It just does not make any sense. We are told to drink up to an hour before meals and wait one hour after to drink again. In the early stages drinking is a 24 hour occupation, it is tough. Take little sips at every opportunity, day and night. Try hot, cold and frozen drinks. I was allowed coffee, so had lattes. Great protein.

It's so different for everyone. For me, I had minimal pain, but was tired ALL THE TIME. I definitely got tired of liquids and protein drinks. I struggled with that part. I didn't want to cook either because I couldn't eat it. So if you have a family to take care of, maybe make some freezer meals ahead of time. Weeks 3 and beyond weren't bad. The puree stage was tolerable. I made things I liked and just pureed them, so it wasn't awful. To be honest, the first 6 weeks can be a challenge, but it's totally worth it. Keep with your program and continue to read posts on here to get an idea of what to expect. But keep in mind, for every bad experience, there are at least 20 good experiences. I am looking forward to hearing more about your journey!

Early on, I was eating maybe two tablespoons of yogurt for breakfast, a couple bites of refried beans or soup for lunch and usually the same for dinner. The last few days (5 weeks out), I can get down maybe 1/4c of yogurt for breakfast and 1oz ground turkey + a few small bites of zucchini and squash for lunch / dinner. Not too much, but everyone is different. I can drink a lot at one time. I was consuming 70-80oz of fluids pretty quickly.