Search the Community

Hi, July Buddies! I'm sorry I haven't been posting or replying for a few weeks; I'm bad at keeping up with social media. But I have been thinking about you all and praying for your surgeries to go well! My July 12 surgery went well with no complications. I'm still finding it hard to get enough liquids in throughout the day. I've been averaging like 30 ounces a day. Even though my mouth is constantly thirsty, my stomach feels uncomfortably full all the time. Fighting thoughts of feeling like a failure. I want to get up and do more, but my one attempt at a short grocery trip made me break out in a sweat, and I'm worried about dehydration. I'm finally on the last day of 2 weeks of twice-daily Lovenox self-injections and I want to throw a party. Anyone else have to do this? I bruise more easily than fruit so these have been more painful than my incisions. But of course bruises are far less deadly than blood clots, so I'm trying to be thankful for the medicine that hurts me.

That seems about right. The cream.of wheat and mashed potatoes need to be thinned out with liquid to a consistency that it will easily pour off the spoon... basically watered, well, milked, down. Think thick soup or stew broth. You mentioned not doing the baby food meat....I don't blame you. Just make sure you're getting enough protein though supplements and approved foods. I felt like I was eating or drinking every waking moment my first 4-6 weeks.

Finally. Surgery day is here! God, I can't do this without You. I completed my 14-day clear liquid sugar-free and caffeine-free diet along with some protein drinks. I didn't cheat once. That in itself is a miracle! I've lost 10 lbs. during this time, and 25 lbs. overall (since January 1st). I was placed on prednisone (steroid) twice this past Spring, which set me back. It causes. much weight gain whenever I'm on it and it takes many weeks to get the weight off. So as I was losing, I'd gain weight while on that medication. So frustrating, but it's behind me, hopefully forever. These two weeks really prepared my mind for this journey moving forward. I will work to continue strengthening this new mindset. Not easy, right? I appreciate the input this forum - you beautiful people - has provided. I hope optimal health and strong minds for you all. Onward! 💟

Like you pointed out, it will get a little better after day three. Your body starts to acclimate to the reduced calories. The bad news is, well, it sucks. There’s no getting around it and it’s one of the harder parts of the journey. I tried to find distractions around the house and tried to stay as busy as possible. Use this time also to rest for your upcoming surgery. Get lots of sleep. Hang in there!

Gosh, I have to try this as it sounds so, yummy! I've been wanting to try the recipe that call for the cauliflower crust, too. Finally, just 5 weeks out and trying to lose as much as possible before 3 month visit. @CarmenG I always thought the sleeve was the revision to the RNy didn't know that's a possibility. Thanks

I guess I want to echo the sentiments of the initial post. I am 11 weeks post-op and everything tastes terrible. I can’t tolerate any liquid or powder protein, so I am extremely limited in what I consume. I just want to know if I will ever be able to just taste something and it’s good and enjoyable? Please help

they seem to work for some people, but not for others. I've never tried them since I'd probably be one of the ones for whom they don't work. Although I've considered getting them for traveling, since even if they didn't really work for me, I don't think a few days or a week would matter much.

I've returned from the land of those out of it. I was severely dehydrated a week after the surgery and I'm back on track drinking and eating soft foods. I had to up the water game since were going to the beach this weekend. My sister is also taking me to Disney in October . She purposely made sure I was in the next level for eating. I am thankful she had the surgery before me.

Mashed potatoes will be during the puree stage starting at 3 week. HOWEVER, each program is different.

Good luck on your surgery! I’m 6 weeks out and just went through my closet yesterday for the first purge. It felt so GOOD! We have to remember that many of us have been overweight for a long time, it’s part of who we were. Sometimes our weight can be a shield and the clothes we wear can send certain signals to the world. You may feel a bit vulnerable after as your body changes and that is COMPLETELY normal. Your body changes. How your clothes fit and even how your shoes fit changes!! You are worth having a healthy body that you can move in and experience life - and there will be changes. Get support here, through your nurses and doctors or even a therapist if you find yourself overly concerned about emotions and feelings that will come up. It is all worth it!! Hugs to you!

Good luck on your surgery! I’m 6 weeks out and just went through my closet yesterday for the first purge. It felt so GOOD! We have to remember that many of us have been overweight for a long time, it’s part of who we were. Sometimes our weight can be a shield and the clothes we wear can send certain signals to the world. You may feel a bit vulnerable after as your body changes and that is COMPLETELY normal. Your body changes. How your clothes fit and even how your shoes fit changes!! You are worth having a healthy body that you can move in and experience life - and there will be changes. Get support here, through your nurses and doctors or even a therapist if you find yourself overly concerned about emotions and feelings that will come up. It is all worth it!! Hugs to you!

I very truly feel your pain. I was sleeved in 2009 and I did fantastic the first 6 years. I lost 149 lbs and 9 dress sizes. At first, I wasn't even exercising and the weight just melted away daily. When I got down to the weight limit that could not be exceeded on an elliptical machine that I borrowed from a sister, I started exercising on it. Eventually, I was using the elliptical for an hour, non-stop, 5 days a week. Everything began to change in December 2014. My father passed away and he was the be all end all of existence for me. I am the youngest of 13 kids and was totally a daddy's girl. He was very ill already, but he ended up dying on my mom's birthday from a heart attack in his sleep. I was the first one to get to his house after my brother who was taking care of him called us all. When I got to my dad, his eyes were still open. My brother was dealing with the coroner and the police officer. I really freaked out and thought I'd better close his eyes before my other sisters or my nieces and nephews saw him. So I did. I closed my father's eyes. My heart broke in half right at that moment. I kinda lost my sh*t. My doc ended up putting me on Xanax and Ambien. Fast forward a few months to April 2015, I ended up getting divorced. Then 15 months later in July 2016 my mother died. Her heart stopped, and during CPR administration, her ribs broke and one pierced her lung. It filled with fluid and because she'd had respiratory issues most of her life, they couldn't help her. She died after 3 agonizing days in the hospital. Then in 2017, I was transferred from one job post to another. They weren't even going to tell me until right before I showed up for work, I found out sooner by accident. I'd been at that post for 10 years. It was a retaliation from a supervisor who knew that I knew too much information about illegal activity that went on under his nose. Literally, every year something horrible was happening to me. The anxiety, depression, and meds led to me not giving a sh*t about what I ate and a lot of drinking. I was drinking every night. I wasn't exercising anymore. I was eating anything I wanted to eat. It was still very little food, because I had a lot of restriction. But I was eating every kind of junk food you can think of. I was eating at all hours of the day. I was grazing, as they call it. I could eat every 3 hours. And the alcohol was just straight shots of tequila. By 2022, I had regained most of my weight and gone back up 6 sizes. You can lose weight again. You can detox from carbs. You can go back to protein shakes. This past May, I started dieting (on my own) because the doc wanted me to lose weight before he'd do the revision. I was drinking a protein shake for breakfast and for lunch, then I was eating a good, solid, very low carb (even zero carb) dinner. No alcohol. In 30 days, I lost 30 lbs. And this was before my surgery. It is absolutely possible, but you have to make the effort and you have to have the discipline. The first 3-4 days are tough as you detox, but then it just gets easier and easier. I wish you luck, friend.

Mine was just 24 hours of liquid prior - but my husband was 2 weeks when he had it done. in his case, (insulin dependent diabetic), he had to have an endoscopy prior to having a surgery date. He was put on a 3 day liquid diet prior to the endoscopy and it showed he had food in his stomach from 4 days prior to the liquid diet! The doctor said that diabetics don’t digest their food well. so doing our liquid phase is dependent on our challenges personally and to make sure there is no food in our stomachs as well as shrink the liver.

Hi all November 2021 people! I want to do a little update because this thread is the only 'diary' I ever actually made - it's fascinating to look back at some of the posts we all made as we went along. I hope you are all doing really well. There aren't many of us posting regularly here any more so I hope that's because you are all too busy enjoying your new life. I am but I just like it here too, LOL. So, my current weight is 139 lbs - it's gone up and down by 2 or 3 pounds within the range 137 - 140 for the last 3 or 4 months but so far no further than that, and I don't take any particular action when those couple of pounds go on. Calorie intake is still about 1300 on weekdays and probably more like 1800-2000 at weekends now (alcohol and limited snacks). I still track everything. I walk A LOT for exercise. I stopped running after a few attempts because even though I enjoyed it it was causing me pain afterwards that lasted for days and then I couldn't do my usual walks so ended up costing me exercise time! I really want to get into some weights but I have such a busy life (excuse alert!) that I am short of time after I fit in all my walks. I am thankful every day that I had this surgery. Honestly, even if I regained every pound tomorrow it would have been worth it just to have this time feeling normal and being able to do normal things. We have a family vacation starting next week that I would have dreaded before, and now I can't wait and am signing up for every single activity along with my children. I would love to hear from anyone in the original gang who still reads but doesn't post much.

Mashed potatoes will be for later. First 2 weeks is Clear liquids only - anything you can see through.

If you're talking about the 2 weeks after surgery, it's all liquid, no chunks of any kind. So broth, strained soup with protein powder, milk, protein drinks, water, and sugar-free popsicle.

I agree with the above comments. I am 14 1/2 months out from my sleeve and 4 weeks out from my revision to bypass. Rice, noodles, pasta, potatoes, breads were all HUGE no-no foods for me. There's no nutrients in them, a TON of carbs and calories, take of valuable real-estate in your stomach that needs to have protein and veggies in it first and foremost. They don't serve any real nutritional value, and there's LOTS of foods you can use to substitute for these that are healthy, bariatric surgery friendly, and DELICIOUS.

Can anyone explain like what they ate the first two week. My doctor has given me a list, but feel like I am going to mess up or fail!!

Pre-op diets vary widely from one surgeon to the next. Some take a one-size-fits-all approach and require a 2-week liquid diet for everyone just to be safe. Some don’t require any specific diet until the day before surgery. Some dictate pre-op diet based on individual patients. I strongly suggest you follow your surgeon’s directions. Do you trust him to cut you open and rearrange your digestive system? If so, then trust him to give you appropriate pre-op instructions. If you don’t trust his medical judgment, you probably shouldn’t let him do surgery on you.

I think it all depends on your starting weight. It could be because your BMI is low, comparatively speaking. Patients who only have 50-70 lbs to lose usually aren't made to do a 2-week full liquid diet. For some of us, though, our doctors want us to lose weight (not just detox or shrink the liver) before surgery. This is because we have 100+ lbs to lose, and have a fatty liver. My doc wanted me to lose 50 lbs even before the surgery. I told him, "Doc, if I could lose 50 lbs right now, on my own, I wouldn't need you." We haggled and compromised and decided on 30 lbs. I lost exactly 30 lbs before surgery. Obviously, sugar free popsicles and sugar free jello (the juice should be sugar free as well) aren't nutritious. They are liquids. Anything that is liquid at room temperature is considered a liquid (popsicles and jello). But they should all be sugar free. And it's not something we do for a long time, only right before surgery. A full liquid diet includes protein shakes. A clear liquid diet does not. I did semi liquid (2 protein shakes and one no-carb solid meal for dinner) for 30 days. Then I did 8 days full liquids only, and the 2 days before the surgery clear liquids only. It should have been 12 days full and 2 days clear, but they moved my surgery date up because there was a cancellation. Consequently, my 2-week liquid diet became a 10-day liquid diet.

Last week I did an inventory of smaller sized clothing I kept over the years "just in case" someday I could fit into again. I found a few items still with tags that I optimistically bought hoping to wear but never could. I'm looking forward to finally being able to wear them sometime soon. Especially some of my old favorite jeans. And yeah some of my big clothes are hard to let go of. I lost a good amount of weight in the past and got rid of thinking I was done with them then regained and regretted. But that was during my yo yo dieting phase. Surgery changed that for me. I don't plan on needing them ever again. Good luck on surgery day!!!!

Two weeks until surgery!!!! I scheduled an appointment with my surgeon to go over ALL of my last minute questions. One of the concerns I had was of my post op diet. My surgeon seems more "liberal" when it comes to the pre op and I am allowed to eat fruit, eggs, bacon, cottage cheese, protein, vegetables, nuts, cheese etc until two days before surgery. From most of what I've read online it seems like most people go on a liquid diet during this time. I wondered if maybe he thinks patients maybe won't stick to it and that's why he didn't assign it so I made up my own semi liquid diet with the information I gathered which was basically 100% fruit juice Popsicle, sugar free pudding, gelatin, soup, protein shake and ground beef salad everyday. I wrote down what I was doing and handed it to him and he proceeded to ask me where I got this diet from and straight told me that this diet was crap, snacks had no nutritional value which would make me weaker before surgery, Popsicle had a bunch of sugar and that my liver would shrink by cutting Carb and starches alone and that i need to eat and stay off the internet 🤣🤣 Did anyone else's surgeon put them on a diet like this pre op? Don't get me wrong I am of course happy to eat food, but I've never heard of anyone else having such a liberal diet pre op and it makes me wonder...

I was told a year, but I sipped a beer at about 6 weeks, hated the taste and still do 8 months post op. Had my first official drink 8 weeks post op, a margarita with lots of ice to dilute the drink. It will hit you fast, 2 sips in and I started to feel a tingling sensation in my nape, that's how I still know I'm getting tipsy. I did notice that even though it hits faster, it also metabolizes faster. I tasted wine about 4 months post op, prefer not to do it, cheap wine its not the way to go, my palate separates the alcohol and it taste like a sip of juice, followed by a sip of alcohol. Since then, I had done a skinny mojito twice. I do try to limit the amount of alcohol I'm consuming because of the empty calories, and because I do not want to go back to bad habits, socially I think is fine.

I have to agree with the above comments. I have only started eating rice and noodles after the first year. My program allowed me to have carbs once a week. Even then it was not easy on my stomach specially the rice. I live in Malaysia where rice and noodle are staple food. If I don't bring my lunch from home and have to eat outside, it is mostly going to be one of these. I take a small portion of rice and load on vegetables and proteins if served separately. Noodles are usually mixed with the vegetable / protein so I can't do anything about it.

-phone -charger -slippers -extra undies -pajamas (if you don't want to walk around in your gown) -set of clothes for the next day -hairbrush Mine was just an overnight stay. I was not allowed to wear makeup, perfume, or even deodorant before my surgery. But I took all three for when I woke up. I HATE going barefaced or thinking I smell. They gave me a special soap to bathe at home pre-op. I bathed the night before using their soap, and I washed and straightened out my hair. I also put my hair up the next morning and bathed again with their soap before leaving for the hospital. After surgery, I mostly slept through the rest of the evening. The next morning, however, I put on fresh clothes, my deodorant, my perfume, and my makeup. It made me feel more comfortable and secure.