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I've been home for a few hours now. I passed out pretty much as soon as I got home. I'm currently sipping on a Gatorade Zero, and now that I'm out of the hospital I can do a liquid diet instead of just clear liquids. So there's that, at least lol. My biggest problem is water. Doesn't matter if lukewarm or cold, straight water makes my stomach cramp. But because I am able to consume other liquids just fine, they went ahead and sent me home. The water thing is just something I'm going to have to keep working on. My other big issue was my body did the opposite of that they expected it to do in regards to my blood sugars. AKA, every time they tested, I was in the 200-300 range when they were expecting me to go down post-op. So I came home with rapid-acting insulin on a sliding scale. Hopefully soon we can discontinue that. For those of you asking about recipes, my doctor has me use the Baritastic app for my logging and tracking. It does have recipes on there as well, if you are looking to spice things up in the land of boredom. Now time to catch up on posts. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @ShoppGirl - Amazing that they had you drink Gatorade 2 hours prior to arriving for surgery. I had to drink mine the night before, and absolutely nothing by mouth after midnight. It's wild to me how different doctors prefer their things to happen. As for taking the shots, I'm sure you are going to rock it. I struggled with the idea of giving myself shots, but over the years it just became another thing for me to put on my calendar to remind me to take. Your question about how long to wait between trying new things, my doctor said I could not try anything new on the same day. So if I tried something and it seemed to work, that would be my thing that day. Then the next day, I would keep that for the first meal, and then as long as it still agreed, I would try something new for the 2nd meal. Maybe that helps you out some? Thank you again for the recipe/website. The site has been bookmarked for me. So the straw thing is for life, it sounds like? At least based on your experience. Chewing your eggs to liquid is still really good. My nutritionist said that every bite I take from now on needs to be the consistency of applesauce before I swallow it. And that chewing even beyond that would be great. But you're rocking it! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @Pepper_No_Salt - Thank you for the idea of mixing things in. I guess I've been scared to do that because I didn't know if it was allowed or not. How do you like the Orgain powder? I use the Owyn premade shakes and Vega powder. They sent you home same day?!?! Holy crap, and I mean that in the best way possible lol. My doctor and nutritionist vehemently told me no straws. Apparently because you can actually suck up air as well as the liquid if you use a straw. I just don't know if that is forever, or just in the post-op period. But my stomach cramped drinking straight water no matter what temperature. However, I did exceptionally well with ice chips - letting them melt in my mouth and then trickle down with a swallow. That didn't affect me at all, so maybe see if you can get some ice chips from Sonic or something similar to maybe give you an idea of how much a 'sip' is? Another suggestion I got from my nutritionist as well as people who my husband work with that have had the RYGB is to buy shot glasses for your water. It should take you about 10-15 minutes to finish a shot glass of water. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @AndreaJD - Thank you for the well wishes! Water was a struggle, but I was up walking on my own the next day. So I feel like I was doing pretty good for myself! I get to start my full liquid stage today now that I'm home. But man, I can't stay awake enough to do much of anything. Hospitals and rest do not go in the same sentence, unless it's discussing negative rest. (My care team was absolutely great though, so I very much appreciate all they were doing for me even if it meant not getting nearly enough sleep.) This will be an experimental phase for me as I have to find dairy free options to make my life easier. But even if I had to literally water down yogurt, that would be better than the chicken broth I had in the hospital. lol ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @Hiddenroses - I have a bunch of staples as well, and have never experienced them before. So thank you for that explanation. Hopefully when I get mine out at the 10 day post-op, I'll be able to at least tolerate it now that I've kind of been forewarned. And yay, WrA peeps! Honestly we probably did cross paths, but in the early days of RP for me I was stupidly shy. For your chair question - I noticed sitting in any chair for longer than an hour bothers me currently. Which they didn't like in the hospital, because they wanted me in the chair for two hours at a time. And I just... could not do it. It ached too much. Even being home now, sitting in chairs I've sat in previously, I have about an hour long time span before it starts to ache. I take that as my sign to get up and move around. Dry mouth is a problem in particular for me. I still try to sipsipsip but I hate the feeling of dry mouth. And that's made worse by the fact that I'm a diabetic. And yes, I was thrilled (/s) to find out I was starting my period. Thank God for mesh panties and pads they had on hand. They assured me this happened quite often, but it still annoyed me to no end (especially when I'm on multiple birth controls to prevent having said periods due to endometriosis). As for poor executive function, I have that in spades as well. I had to come off my Adderall a couple of days prior to surgery because you know, they want me to go to sleep during anesthesia and not be on stimulants. And hoooo boy did that make the problem that much worse. If it wasn't for my poor husband, pretty sure I would have lost my head and left it laying somewhere. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @Onemealplan - Did your doctor allow ice cream for the puree foods? That's kind of awesome. I don't have recommendations for that stage yet as the earliest I will get to it is 8/28 after my post-op appointment. I do remember a recipe back from one of my diet days (Weight Watchers, maybe? I don't remember) that I think might be helpful. You take a helping of ricotta, mix it with Splenda (or whatever sugar alternative you prefer), and some cocoa powder that has no added sugar. Makes it a friendly chocolate treat. I can't give exact measurements on it because I played with it some to get the consistency I liked at the time. I also don't think I could handle the pureed proteins lol. I'll be saving those for when I get to the final stage. I can survive on tuna for a while, especially when I'm having protein shakes alongside it. They gave me a walking goal of 4 laps per 12 hour shift. i was doing those just fine, and when they finally let me walk on my own I extended how long a lap was. But I could not pass gas until they started giving me what is essentially children's Gas-x. And even now, I only pass gass within the 2-3 hours after I've had it. So thankful they sent me home with some. As for in the hospital, the only options i had was water, chicken broth, ice chips, and no sugar added hot chocolate when I specifically asked for it. They brought in 10oz bottles of Dasani water, and it would take me 12 hours to get through one of those due to the cramping. But everything else went down fine. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @Rob Nissam - Thank you for that explanation. My left shoulder was hurting the most over the last day, and they said it was the gas pain. It was the thing that made sure I did not skip any pain medicine, because I was almost in tears over it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Okay, I think I got through all the posts and everyone. If I missed someone, I am really sorry. For those of you in recover, I pray the pain lessens and the intake gets better daily. For those of you who are still waiting on surgery, YOU GOT THIS! I'll be praying for a safe and healthy surgery for you, and that your recovery process is simply fantastic. ❤️

They also sell weight belts. They aren’t super cheap but they would add a little more resistance if that’s what your looking for.

I went from a 5x and 28/30 in clothes to a 14 and XL. Stayed there for a bit so I went and got scrubs and outfits in XL. And was doing great for about 2 months. NOW I'm in a 12 and L in clothes. I never, ever thought I would be down to this size again, but the frustration is that now I can't fit into any of my clothes and work scrubs. I'm the main breadwinner in my family (my husband is on disability) and I just don't have money to buy more scrubs. I listed my old ones (3 sets of size 2x and 6 sets of XL) and they just aren't selling. They have solid bottoms and prints on the tops. I look rather comical in my scrubs now that they are a size too big. I guess I'm just venting because I'm irritated that my clothes don't fit, that I don't have the money to replace them with ones that do, and the ones I have aren't selling. I've only gained 2 pounds since I've been working hard to try and put more weight back on to at least get to my goal weight (I keep dropping back down and fighting to gain those 2 pounds back). I have to do blood work to have my thyroid tested. Apparently every once in a while, having WLS can throw the thyroid off and make it hyper active. So I might need to take something to even it out for a while, with the hope that it will normalize itself eventually. My doctor said that might explain why I literally cannot put on weight, keep on anything I do put on, and I just keep losing no matter what I do. Grrrr..... Ok, rant over....

I have two bad knees, just bone on bone, and would not be able to walk or stand for long without being in agony that night in bed and sore for a day or two afterwards. Since the surgery the pain is much less, nearly zero, I do so much more and just have the aches I think would be normal from the exertion. For my upcoming trips (work and holiday ones) I will be on my feet a lot and doing a lot of walking so I am still going to get what has become my annual knee injections in the hospital in advance and bring a muscle gel with me on the trips but it is more just so I am not impacted at all while away so I can enjoy it. I am hoping that the ortho surgeon will say to give it longer before he sees a need to replace the knees now that there is considerably less weight on them.

I am no longer taking Allopurinol for gout and knee pain is completely gone. I had to have a few adjustments from my chiropractor as I lost the weight. All the excess weight I was carrying really had my body out of alignment. I never had HS but I did have Pilaris Keratosis which is gone as well. I was told on this forum that others had this skin condition resolve after WLS. Good luck Rob!!

I never stopped taking stool softeners twice a day since surgery and I'm over a year out. I was concerned to continue as I didn't want my body to become reliant on them but I was told softeners were not like a laxative and only brings more water into the intestines to keep things moving regularly and avoid constipation. With a laxative your body becomes dependent on them. Big difference. The last thing I want is to get constipated and have a weight stall because of it. I haven't had one day of constipation so there is no need to stop taking them. It will not harm you to do so.

Hi,these are my concerns:1-Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS),2-Gout,3-Knee pain.I'll appreciate any experiences about these comorbidities,after the weight loss.Thanks in advance!

You look absolutely stunning! 🤩 I’m only two weeks postop. Can you tell me how was your experience going back to the gym and when did you see the most weight loss?

@Greekmom4 that bean recipe sounds good. Is salsa considered a purée though? I guess you can purée it a little more. I’m gonna order some now and try to use my little hand blender with it and see what happens. You have to tell me how exactly you went about making purée chicken salad. Was it totally mush? I am allowed canned chicken and tuna and a little low fat Mayo but that seems like a big jump from liquid to me. @Hiddenroses i haven't experienced that but have heard of lots of weird physical aches and pains, especially back pain that occurs as we lose because our posture changes so quickly. And lots of people do end up needing a cushion when they sit after a while. I’m gonna guess it is the loss. Your first NSV!! Needing extra butt cushion 🎉 @Onemealplan are you allowed the egg substitute? I had never tried them until my pre op diet and they are surprisingly good. The first ingredient is egg whites but they add some stuff to make them taste a whole lot more like regular eggs which is great for me because I really don’t care for egg whites. They are also super soft and moist which is good for us right now. @Hiddenroses I am editing this post to add that now that I am paying attention I am feeling a bit of tingling in my butt cheek. I am lying in an adjustable bed watching tv and I’m actually not in a very comfortable position at all but I swear I just noticed some tingling in the right side and shifted my weight. 🤣 I guess if it happened before I just didn’t pay much attention. I’m lucky that I haven’t had to do any desk chair sitting this week. That just got me to thinking about when will be the best time to get a new mattress. One thing I do remember with the sleeve was that the mattress seemed uncomfortable after I lost a significant ***** of weight. I think it’s because I was not sleeping in my same dented in spot with the posture changes. I flipped the mattress a few times and then ended up switching mattresses with my husband who is tiny because he can sleep on anything and that worked last time but I don’t remember if they have been replaced since then. I’m thinking not so I’m going to have to for sure this time at some point.

Hey all - I promise I'll get to responding to the previous posts that I haven't replied to a few pages back but I had a quick question - Has anyone else experienced tenderness from sitting in a chair that didn't previously bother you? It's weird for me, I haven't lost a LOT of weight (24 lbs as of yesterday at the doctor's office, their scale and mine seem to have about a 2lb disagreement) yet it feels like I get an achy bum sitting in a desk chair that was previously fine. That might sound silly; I don't mean in any particular region, just achy in general to the point I've taken to putting a thin pillow beneath me. Is that weird? Is it maybe just the overall achiness? Just curious!

Stories from the other side (i'll be 6 yrs post op this Oct): Sleep: about 1 month after surgery, i was able to sleep through the ENTIRE night without getting up to pee or waking myself up with snoring for the first time in YEARS (decades?). it was (and still IS awesome). I am always well rested and have seemingly endless amounts of energy during the day. the only thing that is a bit of a downer is that i can no longer sleep comfortably on my stomach (which was my previous preferred sleeping position), i've long suspected my lack of stomach padding now seems to contribute to hyper-extending my lower back when i am on my stomach. so its back and/or side sleeping for me now. no biggie though, i've got used to it. Activity: as per my aforementioned endless amount of energy, i am like an energizer bunny during waking hours. i've become a bit of an exercise addict (who me???) and am probably stronger and fitter than i have ever been in my whole adult life (and i'm 52 yrs old for effs sakes). i also LOOK the fittest i have ever looked in my entire adult life...and i was already fit-ISH up until my mid-30s. it's funny and mind-blowing (and ridiculously ego-boosting) when the young 20-30 yr old girls in my Pilates and yoga classes come up to me after class and tell me that they aim to be able to do the things that i do in class, and, wait for it...want to LOOK like me. cray. zee. Fashion: don't even get me started. even before i ran out of "skinny" clothes to wear during weight loss phase, i was already in the throes of being an over-the-top-clothes-buyer (and shoes, and purses, etc lol) i've calmed down a little bit compared to those first couple years, but i do admit i could probably calm down a little bit more. i have way too many clothes in my closet (some of which i haven't even worn in public yet). not sure when i will cure myself of this habit, but i'll enjoy it until i do, ha! one last thing not on your list the deserves mention: CONFIDENCE. i found that i am just bursting with it (maybe too much as i really do think of myself as the absolute BOMB.). but the confidence is not just feeling good about and trusting myself, but it translates also as feeling good about others, trusting others, patience with others and self, calm, peace, courage, all the good stuff! of all the things, the confidence is the one i value the most. thanks WLS. (and thanks ME for doing what i needed to do to get here).

I'm with you on ALL of that. I was in a 28/30 and 5x in clothing and size 10 in rings and 11w in shoes. When I could even find anything in my size, it was expensive, ugly, and not in style at all. I hated it so much. Now, I'm in a size 12 and Large in clothing, size 5 ring, and size 10M in shoes. So much easier to find clothes in my size that are cute, fit better, look better, and priced WAY better. I can shop sales and clearance, I can go thrifting and know I'll find stuff, I can shop in ANY store and not be embarrassed or disappointed. Activity is so key. I couldn't move around without a cane before, and even then it was so hard. I was out of breath after the smallest tasks. Now I go on 10 and 12 mile hikes, I work out and do core/strength/weight training, and I can go horseback riding (just did that last weekend and it was AWESOME to be within the weight limits) or anything else I want to do. Sleeping is so much better now. I can sleep in any position, I don't snore anymore, and I don't wake up with headaches like I use to. I was told I needed a cpap but I didn't want one, and I suffered because of it. Don't need one now!! And of course, my health has drastically improved. No more high cholesterol, high blood pressure, inflammation meds for my joint pain, or diabetes. Instead of constantly being anemic, it stays low normal, which is huge for me. All my labs consistently come back perfect and normal. It's a whole new life now, and even though I went through SO MUCH to get here, I would do it all again in a heartbeat

"also fear having to eat in public or in front of those that do not know I have had surgery." Isn't it a shame that with all the push these days to accept everyone for who/what they are, its still acceptable to fat shame and be judgemental of others for a medical condition? Its the one thing left that people deem an "acceptable" judgement because people feel its all our fault - as if we just pushed away from the table more people wouldn't be over weight. Judgemental people continue to do so without societal repercussions. I've seen the same people jump on someone for saying things about being judged for them being LGBQ, yet these same ppl said some nasty things to me and others for being obese! Everyone should be able to go out and enjoy dining out without fear of being watched. I too understand why you'd fear this, but you need to get to a point in your life that others opinions of you just don't matter, especially strangers. Once you get there it can be quite liberating! You deserve to enjoy your life without others condemning your living it!

Pre surgery I didn't dream further than doing simple things that a fitter person could do. It was all I could do to keep our home clean and cook our meals. Thankfully we have shopping deliveries or I would have come unstuck. I could not go around a supermarket. I was so out of shape. I rarely went outdoors, it embarrassed me. I had learned never to reach too high, crashing into depression is a long road back to normality. So, My new world is eye poppingly wonderful to me. I now have to squeeze in some at home free time. I have a pass that lets me use the trains and buses free. If I feel like it and I mostly do, I am off exploring. I have no need of a car any more I am never hot and sweaty, out of breath or having an internal tantrum because I need to sit down and there is no seat I jump out of bed and into the shower with out needing any aids. It doesn't weaken me for the day I go out and never have to plan the route beforehand. I walk everywhere. I donated my walking sticks to the charity shop. I go abroad alone on holidays and explore alone. I have been married for almost 50 years and its so wonderful to have some me time. He is done with holidays. I do what I want to do, go where I choose. I have made new friends who wish to holiday with me next year ! I'm popular !! I have a small bucket list, To never gain any weight back. In the past I have been lucky, I have seen lots of the world. I still want to see Vietnam, visit Easter Island and live long enough to get new knees on the NHS. Dream big and stay small everyone

I started watching the videos last summer when I first started the path toward surgery. I learned so much, and by now I've watched all the videos at least once. There's one on keeping the weight off for good that I go back to over and over to remind myself of the changes I need to make. I've watched all the podcasts, too. There's so much information and I feel like it's coming from a very trustworthy source. Last August, I read Pound of Cure. I did not start with the two-week metabolic reset diet, but I decided I would eat 16oz of non-starchy vegetables daily, cut back significantly on bread/crackers and cheese, switched my regular wheat pasta to chickpea pasta, and stopped drinking diet soda (my only regular source of artificial sweetener). I didn't count calories, cut back on portions, skip sweets, or do anything else that would have felt like a diet. I just made those relatively easy changes that I thought would address some of my biggest issues, and over about 6 months, I lost 13 lbs. There was never a time before when I lost so much weight by doing so little, so I'm definitely a believer that these changes work. If you're up for the challenge, the 2-week metabolic reset might be a great way to kick-start getting back on track. He explains it in his book, but there's a free PDF you can get from their website with all the pertinent info (scroll way down on the page to find the link): https://www.poundofcureweightloss.com/nutrition/.

Not boring and some of them were on my list of wins when I first started to lose the weight - my backside only taking up one seat on public transport, being able to get through a turnstile without having to turn sideways and performing some sort of gymnastics movement, being able to comfortably close the seatbelt on the plane, not fearing that every time a chair or bed creaked it was going to be the fault of my weight that caused something to break and not thinking that everyone was looking at and judging me when clothes shopping or eating. All dreams and wins count, big and small.

I was sleeve in 2015 and am having revision surgery next week (eek!!) but I never thought about the "what I want to do" type ideas before. Mostly I just wanted to lose weight - I've been heavy my entire life - but I think that maybe I'd like to... Be able to sit in one of those plastic/resin chairs that everyone seems to own for their patio without fearing that it might collapse under my weight, or sit at a sidewalk cafe/restaurant without my butt hanging over the edges of the chair. Have a mattress last longer than a few years before the "dent" I've put in it causes me even more body aches. Be able to go grocery or clothes shopping without feeling like I'm being stared at (that's my social anxiety, but it's made MUCH worse by my weight). Be able to fly economy class again (I've only been able to fly first class the last few years, because I just don't fit in economy anymore) WITHOUT the extender belt! Take my dog for walks and to the park and run around with him. Be able to sit in my desk chair for longer periods before my legs fall asleep because the chair isn't deep-seated enough for my butt! 🤣 I have boring "dreams" 😂

I'm exactly the same. Even starting to talk to somebody, I would panic wondering how they could really like me, and delete the dating app. But this is definitely something I want to do. I want to go to more concerts and music festivals, too. All the standing is painful and makes me not enjoy the show. Less weight on my knees and I can stand longer and do more

Today's podcast episode was really good in addressing weight loss plateaus and making reasonable dietary changes:

I am going to recommend something I personally subscribe to, which is the online support groups through the Pound of Cure Weight Loss's nutrition program. It's $49 per month and you get unlimited online groups and classes, including groups run by Dr. Weiner, the bariatric surgeon, and Zoe, the registered dietician. They are both so nice and really helpful in answering questions and offering thoughtful advice. While he's not in your area (the practice is in Arizona), I know he's one of the few doctors out there who is happy to take patients who had surgeries elsewhere. If you're not already familiar with Dr. Weiner's book Pound of Cure, I can't suggest it enough. I bought it from Amazon last summer and it helped me start turning around my nutrition while I was waiting for surgery. Their podcast and video series on YouTube are also invaluable.

Have you considered getting started for your follow ups with another practice? It sounds like you could benefit from someone with some medical expertise to help get gpu into a routine that with work for you. Others who have experienced this may have some suggestions but Most offices have a NP that can probably help quite a bit with the blood sugar while maintaining your weight as well.

I am really hoping that my husband and I can go on a vacation. Any vacation honestly. It has been so many years since we have had one. Between my insecurities and anxieties about my weight and the physical limitations we just haven’t found anything that seems exciting enough both of us to justify the expense. We could really use some“us” time and my husband would never admit but he would benefit from some time off. I think I may suggest to him that we go somewhere to celebrate when I hit my goal. Then we have a while to work out the details. I always wanted to go to Alaska but I think that’s mostly because I knew that it wouldn’t be too hot for me like so many other common vacation spots. I really hope that my heat tolerance goes up a bit and I can expand my options to different places. I am still only a week out so I have time to add to my list. I’m sure as my mental health improves jt will be easier for me to imagine some of these things for myself.

What one thing can you say once I've lost my weight I want to...___________________! It will happen sooner than you know, start making plans now it gives you a goal other than lost weight!

Wow these are all amazing ideas. I have struggled with Depression so long due to my Bipolar Disorder but exacerbated by the weight that I have just been dreaming of doing normal things like going to family functions without tremendous anxiety about my weight or physically being able to handle the outdoor activities without dying because of the heat and physically being able to keep up with the house chores and mentally feeling well enough to do any of that. I can’t even wait to start dreaming of action packed vacations and things like that. You guys are giving me tons of inspiration.