Search the Community

THANK YOU everyone! A lot of great insights and advice. Ultimately, I figured out that Starbucks has decaf espresso (which I didn’t even know was a thing because, well, why…lol) and got a sugar free decaf espresso with a drop of pumpkin cold foam. The decaf espresso was far better than the decaf roast I was using. It was heavenly and just having it made me feel better— I didn’t feel like it was wrong and I didn’t feel completely restricted. I’m working on my relationship with food and “dieting” as I recover (aren’t we all?) and it felt like a win. I also wrote down some of the concoctions and great ideas y’all gave, and started planning my own sugar free healthy concoctions to try. And I will follow up with my doctor at my post-op appointment in a few days. It’s fascinating that every single person and plan is so unique, depending on your body, your doctor, hospital, state, country, etc. It’s nice to gather so many perspectives and be able to feel *in control* while weighing your options because you’re not starving all the time. Just a thought. Thanks again!

Hi all. I am six weeks post-op from VSG and met with my doctor's team today. I have lost 22 pounds since surgery, which the team is very happy with. There was no concern about my progress at all and they said due to my weight on surgery date being 231, that I should put my expectations at 170 for my final maintenance goal. I was asked the usual questions and asked if I am hungry between meals and I said yes. I am finding myself hungry about 2.5 hours after (some) meals. When I said I was getting hungry, I was told it was gastritis, not hunger. I said "do they feel the same?" because it sure feels like hunger to me. It's my stomach making noises, and feeling hungry in my actual stomach. It's not head-hunger because I KNOW what that is. I do understand that eating can get rid of gastritis discomfort just like it can obviously make you feel like you are no longer hungry. I do acknowledge that it's possible this is gastritis, but wondering if it really is. (?) Per my doctor's orders: My current meals are 1 oz protein and 2 tbsp veg or fruit for 3 meals per day. Absolutely No Snacks are allowed. Today I was told I can move down to just one protein shake per day. Up until today, the only "snacks" that I was permitted were protein shakes. I am trying to follow the rules here, but got home and I feel so confused and even though I asked questions in the office, I have all kinds of things swirling in my head. I want to be successful, but feeling a little lost here. I know everyone's program is a little different, but wondering about the following: 1. How the heck do we know this is gastritis and NOT hunger? And, if it was hunger, do we just ignore it? (They have increased my PPI medications for now to see if it solves the "gastritis". ) If it's hunger and the increase in acid reducing medications doesn't help, am I just living with being hungry all the time? (YES I am seriously asking this because I honestly don't know what the expectation is). Unfortunately I am not one of the lucky ones who lost their feelings of hunger. I have not had any heartburn at all. 2. I don't know if any of this matters, but I swim laps pretty intensely 5 days per week for 1-1.5 hours. I suspect that part of the reason I am feeling hungry is due to the swimming. I could be wrong, but curious if anyone else thinks it has something to do with it. Prior to surgery, I was always hungrier on days that I swim. 3. My protein goal is 80 grams per day. With one single shake @ 33 grams of protein and a total of 3 oz of protein during the day with 6 tbsp of veggies, how am I supposed to meet this protein goal? My calculations tell me it's not possible. I'm still early as I just transitioned today to "regular diet" from soft diet. So, I am still trying to figure things out and how everything will work moving forward. Your kind replies are appreciated.

Lately by ovaries and uterus have been trying to kill me so I’ve been nauseous and in SO much pain. They’re being evicted soon so 🤷‍♀️ hopefully I’ll have relief. Like today I had a protein shake (maybe?), a large frozen coffee, 1/3 of a gas station pizza thing (like a calzone but honestly awful), a grape gummy, and 1/2 a serving of spicy carbonara ramen.

Not that familiar with the switch surgery but I presume it would be the same for all surgeries in that after the surgery there is a new "standard" to meal sizes. If you went back to eating what would be a normal size meal pre-op you would probably make yourself ill and uncomfortable as you can't fit the food in. I am almost a year and a half out (sleeve) and if I had to have a sandwich I would have half per meal but I am trying to stay away from bread/pasta/rice as much as possible as they take up space in my smaller stomach that should have proteins as the priority. I was in the US recently and was happy to see that Pret did half portions so I just got their one half chicken and avocado to have when on the go. For me I still find that for breakfast a yogurt, for lunch and dinner 150ml/3oz of food with a small snack a while later is sufficient for me main meal wise. I think have protein drink or bar as snacks if needed. When eating out I usually just have a starter and would not always finish. If ordering a main course I usually manage 1/3, or 1/2 if it is a small one, and bring the rest home.

Thank you! I’ll for sure go back to just protein shakes

Made our at home thanksgiving meal yesterday to free up fridge space (it sort of worked). Turkey with a curry based dry brine, baked Chinese restaurant style green beans, an gratin potatoes, gravy (from a packet as I couldn’t be bothered to cook more), instant mashed potatoes (see above reasoning), instant stuffing (see above reasoning), cranberry chutney, candied sweet potatoes, mustard greens, and glazed carrots. Before, after the first try and then ended up eating the rest a couple hours later. Had leftover green beans and an eggnog and protein powder shake for breakfast this morning.

Just checked with mine - readymade has no whey protein, the stuff you mix yourself has ☹️ I guess it’s just a case of reading labels. Why do they have to make things so difficult???

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.

At 6 months I started to incorporate more carbs, but now at 8months post op this is what I do: Morning weight lifting Post work out -Protein ice coffee Breakfast- Egg White Turkey Sausage Bowl Snack: Nuts and fruit Lunch: This week is a chicken teriyaki bowl (I meal prep every weekend so bfast and lunches are always prepped) Post cardio snack: mini archer beef stick and sargento light cheese stick I have a yogurt with granola before I go home so I am not munching on junk while making dinner Dinner: is whatever I make the family just mine is smaller and instead of a lot of carbs Ill load up on the protein and veggies. Dessert: I made these chocolate pumpkin almond butter yogurt bites that are DELISH! I am not perfect by any means I am eating around 1800-2000 calories a day, 150g + protein, 120-160g carbs and 40-70g of fat. I have been able to maintain my weight -/+ 3lbs this month by doing this. Also, I weight list for 30-45min in morning and run 3miles in the afternoon M-F and Saturday I do HIIT workout for 35-40min and cardio for 35min. Which is why I eat a lot. I am coming to terms with it, last week I had a slight panic but this group is awesome. They gave me the advise do this for a month and see how it plays out. if I gain then I need to tighten up the rains, If I still lose (which I have not) then go up in 100calories increments.

Congratulations on your weight loss. I hope your sweating issue has resolved with your being closer to goal. I have question though? Do you recall the name of the rx your dermatologist gave you for sweating? I have a similar issue which I know is exacerbated by my weight but even when I lost weight with the sleeve it was still an issue. It’s horrible to live with. I have seen every specialist and had every test I can think of. My dermatologist gave me oxybutwnin which was great for my bladder but did nothing for the sweating. I would be thrilled to know that thete is another option.

Have a look at Dr Matthew Weiner’s Pound of Cure website and podcasts. He has excellent information, books (incl the metabolic reset diet) and online nutrition classes you can sign up for. They also have support groups you may find helpful too. Personally, I wouldn’t go back to the pre surgical shake diet. (I’m with you, those shakes are disgusting.) Instead go back to how you were eating once your weight initially stabilised. That calorie load was appropriate for the weight you were so will be a deficit for what you are consuming now therefore weight loss will occur Focus of your protein goals eating protein first then vegetables and finally any complex carbs as you are able. Ensure you’re getting your fluids in. Aim for lowish carbs, low sugar (real, artificial or alternatives), lower fats & add a little fruit. Check your portions, try to eat regularly & watch snacking. Track your intake even from now so you can see where you may need to make adjustments. You can start slowly by focussing on one modifying one or two aspect s at a time then two or so weeks later add another change.

Has anyone else tried the genepro clear protein powder? I have some and I added jr to pudding and it wasn’t bad but I’m wondering about adding it to hot stuff. Wondering how it heats and how much I can add before it changes the texture.

I would probably hold off a bit. I mean if you strain everything out I guess it would still have a bit of the flavor but I don’t remember the broth being super flavorful. I confess it’s not a fave though so it’s been a while. I found a soup at Walmart that had a pretty flavorful broth. It was their Marketside brand chicken tortilla. It’s over near the deli where they have the Panera soups. Of course you need to strain with a very fine strainer. Their tomato bisque wasn’t bad either for purée stage. It’s pretty high in fat though. Not sure if that’s true of all tomato soups. You can just search deli soup or panara soup and see the options and view the nutrition labels. I spent a lot of time viewing labels and adding stuff to my cart that I could have on puree and added to my saved for later for the soft food stage while I was just laid up in bed. I bought WAY too much food but when I got to soft food I cooked every night and I froze a ton of food so it was nice when I started to exercise because when I get home late from a class I had stuff I pulled out of the freezer and put in fridge the night before. Now I intentionally Cook double batches of stuff so I don’t have to cook as often but I always have home cooked nutritious food.

Hello everyone!! I know I did a bit of a vanishing act, but I have things to report in. First of all - I hit a really frustrating plateau that lasted about 3.5 weeks from around weeks 7-10. That had me feeling pretty bummed, as it was post-two month check in and I had been feeling great about my progress before switching from purees to solids. I had last posted about hearing somewhat contradicting information from the nurse and Nutritionist. I had been told that I didn't need to really worry about staying on keto because I wasn't eating much as long as I hit my protein goal and by the nurse to try to stay Keto because eventually I'd get this great burst of energy from going into ketosis. WELL -- After doing some research I found out that the thing your brain tells you would be the worst thing to do - EAT MORE - was actually the solution. I started bringing in more vegetables and an occasional grains while sticking to mostly lean meats, plus using a protein shake for breakfast to keep me on track with my protein goals. I was already using Genepro; and I since picked up one of the Whey protein powders in a chocolate plus some of the PB2. That did the trick! I have started allowing myself an occasional 'cheat' type meal on days that I'm locked in on my protein, and find myself often meeting my protein goal and then some - more like 70g of protein per day rather than the minimum of 60g/day. The result of spreading my meals out - breakfast, three hours later lunch, three hours later 'dinner' and three hours later 'protein snack' if I'm still hungry - DID IT. My energy is up now that I've been walking more and giving my body more fuel. I am seeing the weight loss finally, and even when the scale doesn't show it right away I'm seeing my measurements shift and the way my clothing fits feeling different. I had purchased a cute pair of jeans about a week before my surgery and a button down short sleeve gingham shirt. At the time I couldn't get the jeans all the way up over my thigh; and now they fit loosely. My bras don't fit properly and I already had to buy one in a smaller size. I'm turning down plus sizes clothes I like that I find at the thrift store for pretty much the first time because - they're too big. I'm borrowing shirts from my Mom that I handed down to her previously and other friends handed down to her rather than me because she was a 2x/3x for a long time (mostly due to her chest) and I was a 4x+. I can feel where my arms have gotten smaller in the way shirts don't feel snug in the arms, shoulder, and chest area. I've gone down 2.5 ring sizes! All in all, I've found that portion control is still a big deal, but so is listening to your body and remembering that if it sends you a message about hunger, there is a reason. I DO have to focus on making sure I drink enough water, but the Baritastic app has helped me keep my sugar low. Even if I do hit over 30g of carbs in a day it's rare and because of something like beans, rice, or vegetables. I'm feeling more comfortable loosening the reins a bit on how strictly I adhere to my diet - although I still don't do anything carbonated, do minimal caffeine, and keep sugar very low. The idea to bring your own tupperware to restaurants along with a cooler is really smart. I'm not in an organized group exercise of any kind yet but I do have personal goals like trying to get in over 10k steps three times per week. I'm working my way up and have gotten to an average of around 5k steps each day, which I'm very proud of. My calorie deficit is usually 800+ calories less taken in than what I'm burning via exercise per day, and this week I have lost almost 6 lbs due to exercise and losing the bloat from my first period post surgery. I wanted to mention that - I did miss my first month's period and my second month's was late. As to exercise - I feel the activity in my back and as a low ache across my lower abdomen mainly, which I think is a result of using those core muscles and the way my figure is redistributing the weight on my joints. I'm shopping Marketplace to add weights to my exercise and still use my exercise bike when the weather isn't nice enough to walk. OH! And Old Navy has an amazing 50% off sale on their website right now and I just finally ordered myself some pants in two sizes below my pre-surgery size! I'm so excited for them to get here. Best wishes all, keep up the amazing work and be kind to yourselves!

We're surgery twins! Well you're not alone. I've been struggling with my protein goals. I started putting ice cubes in a cup (filling the cup with ice cubes) and drinking my protein shake thus way. It's helping. I'm also feeling super hungry. I just want to chew something! Lol

i had low levels of vitamin a the first 3-4 months. and yeah, ur right, for some reason most multivitamins dont seem to include much of it...so my doc had me take extra vitamins a (via supplements) during those months, until he was satisfied with my levels (i had my labs done 6 times the first 6 months) low vitamin a (all vitamins, really) is common among wls patients cuz we really just dont eat enough (i basically ate almost nothing the first 3 months)! Also, when u eat alot of protein (like we are all told to do), our vitamin A needs increase. further, prolonged protein UNDER-eating hampers vitamin a storage and transport within our bodies and blood systems (science, baby!) once i started eating more my levels became satisfactory. (fish, eggs, dairy! yum! green leafy stuff, practically all fruits and veggies! also yum! but liver too...not so very yum, ha) do you/have you ever track/tracked your macro consumption?

I don't think I ate anything that made me sick post op, except for sugar (I am sure it is a form of dumping). At 10+ months post op I eat everything, and by everything I mean I can eat everything and feel fine, my portions are much smaller of course. I eat tacos, burgers, sushi, noodles, pizza and even dessert but in smaller amounts. I eat out 2-3 times a week. Here are some things I follow that help me eat what I feel for in moderation: - I do not drink my calories, other than an oat/almond flat white, all my drinks are calorie free. I do not drink alcohol nor sugary drinks. I drink water, diet soda and coffee and that's about it. - I limit deep fried food, I almost always opt for grilled/air fried/baked. If there's a portion of fries and I really want some, I will have one or two and stop. - I prioritize protein 90% of the time. On weekdays I always start with my protein, then my veggies THEN a tiny bit of carbs if I have space (most of the time there is not much space left). When I'm out for a nice dinner or I've ordered in I will eat my order the way it is and will not pick the protein first, so if I've ordered a burger I will eat it as it, or if it is sushi i will eat that and not worry about protein first, but that is only a couple times a week. - I make tweaks and substitute when taste isn't compromised. I love my big mac tacos but I don't want to be eating 200+ calories from a tortilla, so I substitute that with a mission low carb because I really can't taste the difference, or it's negligible. I also substitute wheat toast for protein toast (still occasionally eat sourdough because I love it and can taste the difference). I also opt for low fat milk/dairy/meats when I can, but I will not substitute cheddar for a low fat version for example because MELTED CHEDDAR 🤤 - I eat carbs in tiny amounts. So if I'm snacking and picked up a cookie, I will eat a bit of it or half at most. If it is a slice of cake I make sure it is tiny or I will eat half the slice, if it's ice cream it is half a scoop. I can't tolerate much of sugar and it makes me ill but I will taste/try. And it has to be WORTH IT. I will not eat something for the sake of eating it, I should really want to try/eat it, and if it ends up not being good, I will not continue eating it. - I workout a lot, I lift, I run, I do Pilates, I cycle and close my steps. I stay active. If you can control your portions and refrain from the "all or nothing mindset" it is very possible to eat what you like and maintain your results, at the end of the day it's calories in vs calories out. Also, my moto is that life is too short to be living miserably (I love food LOL). I will however say that I recommend that you hit maintenance first before exploring with the above. I was VERY strict during weight loss and ate 100% clean.

Please add the option to list a second surgery to our profile if possible. I’m thinking it’s kinda confusing to people that I am asking questions about pre op when I had surgery three years ago. Also please add the SADI surgery to the list of surgeries as well.

Really it’s the carbs and protein that I am mostly interested in but I get it. They aren’t necessarily accurate. I have to get at least 90g a day and that’s actually a great deal harder than I remember without shakes. They didn’t operate on my stomach so it’s not an issue of capacity. It’s that I already eat every three hours. I can’t imagine eating any more often than that.

Your program might be different, but mine allowed sugar free pudding. Add a scoop of protein powder or peanut butter powder -- after it's set -- and/or make it with a milk like fairlife that has added protein. During my stage, I went to my local fav Vietnamese restaurant and bought a couple servings of pho broth, which I added a little extra bone broth powder to. I got tired of my protein shakes pretty quickly, but I'd use half of one to make a faux smoothie using either sugarfree drink mixes or sugarfree jello, watered down with extra milk or water so the sweetness wasn't overpowering. (premier protein chocolate shake + nsa peanut butter powder (PB&Me) = peanut butter cup shake) Tomato juice is awesome to awaken your taste buds after so much faux-sweet shakes. Campbells cream of tomato soup mixed really well with unflavoured protein powder for me, provided I added it after I finished heating the soup. (I used Boost unflavoured protein).

Not wish but glad that I did. I stopped caffeine about a month or so before surgery, I tracked all my food so I got in the habit, I went for walks to build up stamina, only 3x a week until surgery, I had different kind of protein shakes, one of each kind that tickled my fancy so after surgery I had options. Some I liked and got more, some I had one drink then gave to my hubs. I would wait for the liquid diet until they tell you to start because it sucks! I only had to do 1day and I complained the entire day LOL, some people do a food funeral where they eat all the foods they want since that will be on hold for a bit. I actually deep cleaned my house the week before surgery (I am super Type A LOL) but made me feel good that I didn't have to worry about house keeping for a minute. I do wish I would cleaned out my pantry better, I had junk food in my house and even though I didn't give into temptation, it was there. Also my mindset with food. I'm 6months post op and it still messes with me, like wanting to eat huge burrito because I'm upset but knowing I physically cant. Its like breaking up with someone. @SleeveToBypass2023 said it really well, breaking in a very toxic relationship, you know its not good for you but you still go back. If you can mentally prepare yourself for it. Its a mindf*%^ .

You can have raw or sauté vegetables. Or you may eat pasta with tomato sauce, veggies, and cheese. It is a healthy option.

This week has been disappointing. I didn't lose any weight despite not doing anything different. I got a dreaded summer cold, so I wasn't motivated to cook. So I ordered Pizza last night.. I'm really disappointed in myself, because there's a million better options. But what's done is done. So I'm back on the diet today. I'm still sick, but I can't use that as an excuse. And at least when I don't lose weight and gain, tomorrow, I'll know why. I've also joined a gym and I've got the induction on Saturday. I used to go to the gym pre-pandemic and just wasn't able (or maybe willing) to get back into the swing of things once they reopened. I do miss the water aerobics class I used to do. The new gym doesn't have a pool and I can't afford a gym with a pool. So up and down

Hello all, I had my first negative comment yesterday from a member of my partner's family. I was talking about my surgery (as someone else in their family had also had WLS), and this individual spoke up and said to me: "ah, you don't have the will power to do it yourself then?". I was just a bit taken aback if I am honest. I had to correct her (not that I have to justify myself to anyone), in saying that I had exhausted all my options, and other conditions I have mean that WLS is the only way for me. I know we shouldn't take things that others say to heart, but I can just predict that this is going to be the mindset of most people who do not understand what it is like to be obese, and to struggle every day. How have some of you dealt with comments such as these?

Make sure you're getting your protein and fluids. I know you're 1 month out, so you can't get your full calories in yet. But don't push yourself too fast. Give your body time to heal, prioritize fluids and protein, and trust the process. You'll get there, but it's a marathon, not a sprint. You didn't gain the weight in a month or 2 and you won't lose it in a month or 2.