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I had decided to only get on the scale once a week, I didn't want to be that person that gets on the scale every day and gets discouraged during a stall. My usual doctors appointments are on Thursdays (for some reason) so I decided that Thursday's would be the day. I have a lot of stuff going on tomorrow so I decided to get on the scale a day early. Last Thursday, I had my first post-op appointment with my doctor and had lost 46lbs since entering the program and 22lbs since surgery. I got on the scale this morning and have since lost 9lbs! I went from 339lbs last week to 330lbs this week, bringing me to a total of 55lbs lost since entering the program and 31lbs since surgery. This past week, I've focused mostly on trying to get my fluids in, mostly drinking water and the occasional Gatorade Zero. I never really cared for water so it's shocking how much of it I'm drinking now. For the most part this week, I've eaten scrambled eggs, grits, cream of wheat, hummus, refried beans, and mashed potatoes. I mistakenly ate the potatoes a bit earlier than I was supposed to, but I haven't had any issues with them, so figured they must be okay. I'm not 100% proud of it, but the mashed potatoes came from KFC.. 😬 I've still done pretty good though, regardless! I'm still trying to get as much protein from drinking the shakes as I can. I get roughly 20oz a day from the shakes which is around 2 whole bottles, so somewhere around 60g of protein. I'm taking my vitamins every day as well. As best as I can figure, my calorie intake is probably somewhere around 500-600/day (this is just a rough estimate, the protein shakes alone are about 300.) I have gotten dizzy a time or two, which I've read is normal and at times, I get ridiculously itchy on my back and stomach, but it's not too bad. I tried to fix it with Benadryl but it didn't work. I did get one hell of a good nights sleep though, so there's that! I feel a lot better than I did pre-surgery. I still have a long way to go, but I'm feeling really great and only have 30lbs to go until I'm back into the 200's!

It can be difficult to swallow in the first couple of days after your surgery (swelling) but also some surgeons will want you not to swallow meds for a period of time advising patches, chews or to crush meds (not all can be crushed). And of course there’s also what you’re able to do & tolerate in those first few weeks while healing. I had swelling to begin but the hospital gave me pain killers & other meds as tablets in hospital after the first day - it wasn’t easy & hurt. I didn’t have to begin any vitamins until I was home (day 4) but by then the swelling was gone. I was also able to take my vitamins as tablets. Mine were capsules but I could only swallow one at a time with a little break between. Also took half the tablets in the morning & the other half at night.

I went to a friend & her husbands combined 60th about two weeks after my surgery & had to stand up (no chairs in their backyard - actually there was one but the s-i-l of their daughter’s boyfriend wouldn’t give it up as she’d had a caesarean, without complications, three months earlier!!). I made it to almost 3 hours. Went to a cousin’s 40th at about two months. I was there for the whole party (there were plenty of seats at this one - lol!). You should be okay (as long as you’re not standing for hours 😉). Take an electrolyte drink with you for an extra boost of energy. Congrats on your surgery & enjoy the wedding. I’m sure it will be beautiful.

Ok so not my wedding 😆, but I am standing up in my best friends wedding as a bridesmaid 6/7 weeks post op from RNY. (Just got my surgery date today) Part of me wanted to delay the surgery until after, but ultimately didn’t want to pause my life for someone else’s wedding. Will I be ok at the wedding 6/7 weeks PO? Like able to make it through the night and enjoy it? Guess I’m hoping to hear from others who have had big events in the weeks after surgery. (bonus question - should I order the chicken or the steak? Lol!)

Also wanted to add my surgeons office provides both counseling and nutrition services for life, free of charge. They also required us to complete monthly online classes and 4 in person weigh in classes during the optifast liquid diet. During that time we had to lose 5% of our excess weight or not be approved for surgery. I had to get an EEG cardio clearance including an echo, and a nicotine test, so lots and lots of hoops. Now that surgery is over, I have a phone appointment before I can advance to full liquids abd an in person class before solids, along with a two week, four week, six month and 13 month follow up appointments. If your office doesn't offer this, I would suggest scheduling follow ups on your own.

The only pain I had (and it’s always really bad for me) is the pain in the left shoulder from the gas used to inflate the abdomen. Nothing helps that pain as mine always lasts about 3 weeks! I do see a pain specialist so I can’t remember if my surgeon gave me pain meds or not. If something just doesn’t seem right, call your surgeon’s office, they are the experts, not us! Check with your insurance about a nutritionist & therapist.

most "normal" WLS patients (i.e., those of us not the size of the people on "My 600 lb Life", which the vast majority of us are not) lose about 15-25 lbs the first month. You've lost 11 in two weeks - so you're right on track!

Hi everyone! I’m 2 weeks post sleeve surgery. I’ve lost 11 lbs which is great and less than I expected. With an average 300 calories per day I thought the number would be higher. Im staying positive and I’m grateful to be rid of those 11 lbs!! I’m starting the purée diet and appreciate all tips on how to manage the texture. I’ve had some dumping and from what I’ve read it’s from eating too fast and maybe the sugar in my vanilla protein powder (5mg). I wasn’t expecting this! I appreciate your support!!

I’m 54 and just had surgery on 6/27. I’ve lost only 11 lbs. I thought I’d lose much more. I’m a bit frustrated with that since I lost 9lbs the week prior to surgery.

Do you know what a 10" south shore bar pizza is? They are served bars south of Boston for the most part and are delicious. Today, the Cape Cod Cafe (not on Cape Cod and not a cafe either) serves $6 cheese pizzas. Absolutely delicious. I bought one figuring that I'd eat half for lunch. I had it in the car and couldn't wait to get home. Started eating , and kept eat slowly over the course of 45 min until it was all gone. Oh no! What have I done?! I'm scaring myself a bit because I'm only 4 months out and don't want a big stomach. How come some foods allow me to eat normal portions or even over-eat, and other foods, like eggs, keep me line?. In addition to pizza, I can eat a lot of salmon too (2 fillets). Anyway, looking for explanations, encouragement and support. Many thanks. I started at 386, and after about 4 months ( in a week) I'm down 72 lbs. That's the good news. But I'm not even half way to my goal, hence the worrying.

Egg prices in my area are back to normal. I think I paid $1.50 USD for non specialty eggs a week ago. I’ve resigned myself to only buy fruit on sale/promotion. Somethings I cut and immediately freeze like pineapple. Fruit has been going bad too quickly imho.

Glad you are on the other side of it. I'm almost 5 weeks out, and you can still see where the horrible redness and reaction was.

mine was 14 too just push through as best as you can and remember before you know it it’ll be behind you and you’ll be on your way to your new future! it feels light years away at this point lol (im now a week out from surgery)

Ha! And I I made an omelette last Thursday (& ate it for three days). Egg prices are supposed to increase here to $15 a dozen soon (about $10US). They’re about half that at the moment. It’s just a crazy proposed increase. My omelette lunches may become a very rare occurrence soon.

I was mainly looking for another option to mix with my coffee as I don’t tend to drink protein shakes alone anymore. I get my morning coffee with my jumpstart of protein to start the day. I didn’t do this until 30 days post-op because I couldn’t have caffeine and decaf was awful lol. So I find vanilla is little easier to mix. (Though I have also tried the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Chike protein coffee and it wasn’t so bad). I am not opposed to other protein shake chocolate options if I wanted to blend it up even with ice for a treat, but I had gotten sick of chocolate ones for awhile since that flavor was and is the only one I can find in Costco. I was drinking 2 a day pre-op and nearly everyday for a couple weeks post-op. I do drink the Protein 2O protein waters. I don’t drink them as often now since I can make my protein goals mostly with my morning proffee and foods, but I will still throw them in on days I fall short. I agree it’s a nice way to mix it up without adding more heavy milky liquid.

My BP shot up day 2 after surgery. I was worried but the nurses told me that it was a normal reaction following WLS. It stayed elevated for a couple weeks. Never dangerously high, then normalized. It's one of the medications I hope to be off of one day. Also make sure you are staying hydrated. BP rises when dehydrated. Contact your doctor if it doesn't come down. GL

Mine is 7/17 as well. I’m on day 6 of my pre-op diet and it’s a little rough but I’m staying strong. The weekend was much harder than the week days. Hope your process is proceeding well.

I've been lurking for a few weeks so I know what you mean. I am focused on getting through the next few weeks post op- I am definitely proud of how far I've come. Thanks for the advice.

I'm a 66 year old women 3 weeks post op my blood pressure has been elevated since surgery has anyone else had this problem

Hello all. I am excited be on this weight loss journey. I had my VGS on July 6, 2023, so I am a less than a week post-op. I started this journey at 267 lbs- consult day. The day of surgery I was 230 lbs. My surgery went well, I spent one night in the hospital. My incisions are still sore but manageable, I feel great. Today, I weighed in at 226 lbs. I live in Florida. It is so great to have a place to share my experience and get advice. I hope I can be helpful in some way and my words can inspire someone.

Just responding to my own post to have everything in one place. General Down almost 60lbs after surgery on May 18th. No complications. I followed the rules exactly on the diet, but continued to push the exercise because that's my personality. In fact, I would say I've become a little obsessive with the exercise, walking/running/biking everyday. I have also experienced a lot of ups and downs since the surgery. Food The first week after surgery I was fine with the limited clear liquids, however, near the end of the first week I was sick and tired of the clear liquids. The second week was the same. First part of the week was good because of new liquids, but near the end of the second week I was sick of the limitations. Basically I was excited every time I got new foods, and was sick of it by the end. This was not so much because I was having cravings for fatty or sugary foods, I just needed variety. Now I'm opened up to try whatever I want, except carbonation. I'm still not trying bread, but have had really small tastes of pasta (really small) or eaten really small keto tortillas without issue. I'm still keeping a daily log of all food eaten and hitting my macros on most days. I'm really focusing on my protein (100+ grams a day; I've really been aiming for 130+ grams, but it's tough) intake as I don't want to lose any more muscle. I do notice that I get the hiccups when I'm full. Sometimes my nose runs when I'm full as well. I did get the "slimes" once. I was trying to eat a breakfast taco on the keto tortilla and I guess it was too dry. I only got half down (the tortillas are only about 3.5 inches across; really small) and it felt like it was stuck. So what do you do when food is stuck, DRINK! That was a mistake. Got the slimes and eventually threw up. That's the only time that has happened. Fortunately, it was like 5 weeks after surgery, but I was worried I had done something to my stomach. Went out to eat with the family a week ago and tried ghost pepper wings (which I'm normally fine with). I also put ghost pepper hot sauce on my refried beans, without issue. The spicy wings did not go well. It was much spicier than normal and I ended up drinking water and almost threw up. Prior, I had eaten 3 wingstop wings with blue cheese and was fine (mango habanero). We went out to dinner again last night and I had a few bites of salad, about 2 ounces of chicken breast with BBQ sauce and a few bites of sweet potato and was stuffed. I used to get a 16 ounce ribeye with mushrooms and onions, mashed potatoes, veggies and a couple of tall beers. I did not feel like I was missing out, which feels kind of weird. My kids got a dessert and I wasn't interested in it. Sugar free popsicles taste really good and are almost too sweet now. I was really worried about eating out (what I was going to eat; how it was going to go, etc). I feel more comfortable now for when we go out with friends. Bonus, I have saved a TON of money on food and alcohol. Like a crazy amount. I did have a glass of bourbon on the rocks last week. Drank it slow and it went down just fine. Zero issues. I'm not going to start drinking though, and will just stick to an occasional drink. Exercise I started walking very soon after surgery, 10K steps a day, and pushed it too far too early. I dialed it back for the first two weeks, but then picked it back up. Now I either walk for 15K+ steps a day or ride the bike for an hour. Every day. I get a more intense workout on the bike plus it's better on my joints. Walking seems to hurt my hips and back, but I'm powering through. I'm going to a physical therapist on Thursday to try to figure that out. As I said above, I'm definitely obsessive about my exercise. Sometimes to the point where I wear myself out and am exhausted for the rest of the day. Some of that is a mix of the intense exercise and limited calorie intake. I've also told myself that I was not going to obsess about the scale and I was only going to weigh once a week, because the weekly/monthly trend is the only thing that matters (my weight fluctuates up and down daily, but trends down weekly/monthly). However, I find it really difficult to avoid weighing myself multiple times a day. I'm obsessed with the scale as well. Mood Overall, I'm OK. Weight loss is really good. Hit a couple of short stalls. No complications, but my mood is really up and down, which is not normal for me. So much so, that I have scheduled an appt with a therapist next week (first time in my life). The doldrums are real, especially after VSG, so take care of yourselves, physically and mentally. Meds I'm completely off my BP meds and it's currently averaging 120/80. I have GERD with a history of Barrett's Esophagus, and I'm currently taking 40mg omeprazole daily. I was really worried about it getting worse after surgery, but I have had zero issues. I have a follow up appt with my VSG doc next week and I'm going to see if I can test 20mg. I would love to get off all meds. I tried the barimelts at the suggestion of my doctor, and they were OK the first couple of days. Then they totally grossed me out. I mean, like I was about to vomit and dreaded taking them every day. I only made it about a week before I gave up. I'm back on regular vitamins for now and tolerating them just fine. I'm going to ask the doc about that next week as well. Misc Because of the connective tissue disorder, my shoulders are really messed up. My right one especially. I'm glad it's not affecting my exercising. I just saw an orthopedic and she described my shoulder as "gnarly". Reverse shoulder replacement is in my future, but in the meantime, I'll have it scoped for labrum and rotator cuff repair, plus Bankart repair with the remplissage procedure. I am looking forward to relief from the chronic pain, but not the recovery. I hear it is brutal. TLDR Wished I would've had the surgery sooner. Plan for some ups and downs. Follow the plan. Take care of yourself. Don't be afraid to ask for help.

Stalls are super frustrating! I am currently in that 3-4 week stall myself but I came across an interesting article regarding WHY it happens. Basically, your body is trying to figure out its new normal. During the low calorie liquid and puréed stage during the first 4-5 weeks, your body has gone from burning things like carbs for energy to burning fat. But during this process you had to burn through your glycogen stores as well. (Glycogen also holds a lot of water which is why we can get dehydrated even though we are drinking a lot of fluids). Our bodies are trying to find our new normal in what to burn for energy and our fluid levels are equalizing which can keep the number on the scale the same or even climb. I have a scale that gives me my water, fat and muscle composition and during this time, I am losing fat, gaining water and muscle and the scale hasn’t changed in 13 days and knowing that my body is adjusting really helped me relax. My blood pressure also dropped enough to stop my blood pressure meds!!! Be kind to yourself, give yourself good foods, drink as much water as you are able and get your movement in. As others have said here, this is a marathon, not a quick fix. Hugs to all!

I'm feeling really good. one week out today!! Trying a couple of pureed foods also.

Walking from day 1. Longer walking with slight incline by week 3. Cleared for ALL exercise at week 6.

When I had my original surgery, I added black pepper and crushed red pepper flakes to my broths. It got me through the bland phase. I know it’s difficult the first few weeks until you can eat more solid food. What I’ve done with ricotta cheese, yogurt, sugar-free pudding and cottage cheese is to add Splenda and extracts or professional flavorings (like cake decorators use; I did some cake decorating). Missing pumpkin pie? Add pumpkin pie extract or flavoring to ricotta cheese. I use flavorings by Lorann Oils. You can find some at Michaels, Joann, and local cake and candy supply stores. You can also order them online at www.lorannoils.com.