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Hi there. I’ve been watching a few videos on the 2 week pre-diet and was wondering… I am on the lower end of qualifying BMI, only qualifying with my insurance company because of other health complications. Can the weight loss of the pre surgery diet present a problem or is the insurance process already sealed before the diet begins? I yo yo between a BMI of 37 and 42, have been more diet conscious since starting with the nutritionist and am dropping a few pounds a week. With a minimum of 2 more months to go before the pre op diet, I’m worried I’ll be pushing the margin (though know I’ll never see a healthy weight without this surgery)

I started walking day 1 after surgery to prevent blood clots every few hours for 5-10 minutes. I continued on with that until I was up to a mile once a day. Started inside on my treadmill and walking outside for now until it gets too hot. Today at 10AM it was only 70 degrees with a cool breeze so pushed myself to go round the lake a second time for 2 miles total. 😤 Not bad for someone who was almost completely sedentary pre-op, My bariatric team advises nothing harder than walking until 6 weeks after surgery. Weeks 2-4 light physical activity. Low impact walking and stretching. Weeks 4-8 add cardio activities. Increase walking distance and/or speed. Biking, water aerobics. Easier on joints. 5xs a week for 30 minutes and build from there. Week 6 add strength training twice a week in addition to cardio. I have yet to start the strength training. I had a hiatal hernia repair at the time of my RNY so I'm a bit apprehensive to start. But I do look at the weights as I pass thru the room to go sit in the infrared sauna. LOL Good luck @Nicnak

Hello all. I am nearly 13 weeks post RNY. I am eating all kinds of modified regular foods, so overall I don’t have a problem meeting my protein goals. I still have a protein shake daily - however it is because it’s the easiest way to get a huge dose of protein in with my morning coffee. I’ve never been one to eat solid foods so early in the morning. I make proffees and while it was a bit of an adjustment to my regular cup of coffee, I am so used to it now. My preferred protein shake of choice to use is the Fairlife Core Power Vanilla shake as I can use it both cold and heated depending on whether I want hot or iced coffee. I mix it up a bit and also have the Fairlife Nutrition plan chocolate shake as well for a mocha. I much prefer the vanilla, but they are so hard to come by these days. I either cannot find them anywhere locally and/or the online retailers and nearby stores have them at insane prices. I do not like the taste of Premier Protein shakes at all. They taste much to chemical and box like. I have tried the Quest shakes and it’s ok in a pinch, but the aftertaste is more pronounced. Shakes are so expensive so the trial and error is a bit daunting. I have tried Ensure Max in their coffee flavor and again the chemical and box taste is just like premier. My second favorite has been the Chike Protein Coffee powder, but I only have these iced and they have a bit less protein so I mix them with Fairlife Skim milk and a scoop of collagen. I have tried isopure unflavored protein powder and tried to incorporate it, but for something unflavored it reminds me of infant formula and is not pleasant. I am considering trying the Unjury ready made vanilla shakes, but unsure if I’ll like them and because it’s only sold in larger packs, I’m stuck with it if I don’t like it. What are protein shakes people are liking?

I'm using the Bariatric Fusion multivitamin chewable. I'm taking 1 three times throughout the day. I added a separate chewable B12, plus a chewable iron, a chewable biotin, and a chewable calcium. The thing with the bypass is that because of the malabsorption, we need to take them several times a day because we don't absorb the way sleevers do. I am a revision from sleeve to bypass (20 days out). It won't do us any good to take a large amount of any vitamin just once or twice a day because we won't absorb it anyway. We'll have better luck taking the regular amounts several times a day. This way, we give our bodies several opportunities to absorb some of the vitamins we're consuming. Also, we shouldn't take iron and calcium together because they compete for absorption. Those should be taken at least 2-3 hours apart.

Hi! I'm new here but I read this and wanted to reply. At my two-week appointment, I was told to wait one more week before getting on the treadmill. However, since the surgery, I was told to walk around inside my house (South Texas so too hot to walk outside after surgery) 4 times a day. I was literally counting 600 steps 4x a day. Tomorrow, I'm getting on that treadmill but still gonna take a slow stride. I'm freaking out because my weight loss is so slow. BUT, the PA told me I could use the treadmill at 3 weeks and I could start driving, just to be very, very careful because of the seat belt. Maybe start with just walking at a comfortable pace.

I’d wait a bit longer for anything intensive. Like others have said it was about six weeks before I was cleared to lift weights. But until that point, it was mild stretching to stay limber and walk, walk, walk.

Oh straws. It’s one of those things that some surgeons say no & others don’t care. Mine said nothing & I used straws. Not all the time but a few times a week depending on what I was doing or drinking. Never had an issue. Actually found it easier to sip through a straw at first - can’t gulp or take large mouthfuls with a straw. You’re a couple of months out now so I guess you could give it a go & see. Do you have to use the straw or can you remove the straw & sip through the home?

I was told to start walking right away and more intense/weight exercise at 6 weeks. And even then, my surgeon said if it hurt my abdominal area to stop and try again in a week or so.

I think I was cleared for walking within a month and more intense exercise about 6 weeks out. Walking should be fine for now, give any thing more intense a few weeks longer.

Hi everyone. I was a cash pay in Vegas for gastric sleeve. They haven’t really followed up and I keep having to ask them for more info. They seem really relaxed about everything (outpatient surgery). I asked when I can exercise and he said I can begin anything I want now and I am only three weeks out. I’m just wondering if anyone else has been told that? I see 6-8 weeks most places.

I just started drinking black coffee at 2 months, and even then, I maybe only have 3 or 4 cups a week. Tea is a bit easier on your stomach, though not as much caffeine. The biggest problem with caffeine is that it's a diuretic.

I had a sleeve and had no restriction placed on caffeine intake either pre or post op. I drank coffee from day 1. But everyone is different and you sound like you're listening to your body OP - maybe just try it again in a few weeks when you've healed a bit more.

Hey! I just hit a month post op and the past week or so I’ve noticed every day my weight fluctuates 4lbs (roughly)… has anyone else noticed this? I feel like losing/gain 4lbs a day seems a little crazy… just wondering if this is another one of those “wait it out moments” for us. Hope everyone is doing well!

Had my VSG about 6 weeks ago. I really want to maintain, maybe build muscle. I have had good muscle mass until about two yrs ago. I am now 55 and post menopausal, so it’s a whole new world!!😩. I would love to learn Any supplements, exercise routines or any kind of tip/ trick people have discovered, stumbled upon. I know we are all different, but I love hearing about new things to look into, learn about. There is so much out there now!! Get hormones! Use EEA’s!! The wellness world has exploded and there is a lot of BS out there. Every now and again you find a gem. We are aging so much differently than our parents!! We aren’t taking it lying down! 50 is the new 30!!

I has my VGS about 6 weeks ago. I have always had a good appetite, was a chubby child. In my teens through to about 50, I was able to manage a good appetite with a lot of physical exercise and I loved it, loves my muscles. I ran, power yoga, spinning. some weights, never a body builder. I had my child at 35 and that was hard on my body. I had/have a lot of back problems so slowly my running was taken away, then spinning. I managed to keep up. Power yoga routine, but it was hard on me. Went thru menaopause and divorce at 50 and life unraveled. COVID hit and with personal issue I went to work and came home to lay in bed for two years. The weight piled on, muscle went away and I couldn’t find my motivation anymore. I felt like I had thrown away an adult lifetime of fitness that I had worked so hard for and had wanted so badly. I decided to go for surgery because I just felt at this stage in my life, I wouldn’t be able to get back to my previous fitness and weight loss at this age was just about impossible. I had the surgery, did well. I am getting plenty of protein, but all the plans I had for creating a new physical fitness rebirth haven’t gone nearly as well as I wanted. I am not giving up, but everything is just harder. Still trying to find my MOJO. I have lost weight, but maintaining and maybe building a little are my Quest. Getting older, losing your hormones is discouraging. It happens to everyone, but you can’t really prepare and “ be ready” because it’s like having a child, you just don’t know how it really is until it happens. I am really interested in any supplements or tricks, certain exercises routine a anyone has learned. I am trying to focus more on weight training. I have never really like just doing weights. That is one thing I loved about power yoga, it a lot of muscle work without feeling like just doing a bunch of boring reps!!I am researching EAA supplements. Would love some testosterone, but that is costly over time. Look forward to figuring out this journey with this group!!

Same as Babyspoons, 5 weeks, one cup, no issues.

Thank you all for your responses. I have been lurking in this forum for past 6 weeks, and have read most of your stories here and I appreciate it when people share, so I will do the same with my progress. Thank you all again.

I could reintroduce caffeine at 5 weeks post-op. I quit drinking coffee long before my WLS due to the hiatal hernia that I didn't know I had. But was having massive acid reflux whenever I drank it, so I stopped. Now with surgery and hernia repair, I can enjoy again but my Nut was adamant about me waiting the 5 weeks.

The last pounds can take ages. In the end I was losing grams (ounces). Have a chat with your surgeon & dietician & review everything. This may be your new set point so losing less than this and maintaining a lower weight will be very difficult. It could also be an extended stall. You’ve been doing so well I can understand you being concerned.

That was me too. I bounced between 60-75kg (healthy weight to overweight range) most of my life but peri menopause then menopause & suddenly I was obese. Could lose a couple of kilos but would take several weeks & that as on those extremely low calories diets of 500 calories a day too. I’d gain the weight back like in days. The surgery boosted my metabolism & I keep it burning by eating regularly now - no more meal skipping for me which was how I used to try to maintain my weight. The fatigue will improve as you begin to eat more each day. Try an electrolyte drink to give you a boost on days you need a little more energy. You may be able to start some fruit soon. I think I could from my third month. Check with your dietician. The sad news the weights won’t help with your loose skin. It will only help with the muscular structure under your skin which has been stretched out. My arms are quite nicely toned from using resistance bands. I even get compliments which I think is hilarious as my loose skin is still there but then I don’t wave my arms about too much 😉. Only way to get it rid of it is surgery. All the best with your progress.

Hello, I'm pretty new to this website and maybe I don't know how to optimize the search function yet but I'm looking for people who have had experience with the Center for Obesity and Metabolic Health at UCLA. what little I've seen on Bariatric Pal is about 5 years old and would love to hear about more recent experiences. How was your overnight stay? how has the post-op care been? I'm about 3 weeks out and I'm getting nerves. Thanks!

I think that if you are doing everything right, watch your sodium and water intake to see if you are retaining fluids. Otherwise just keep going and don’t get discouraged because you could just be in a stall.

My losses slowed down about the same times as yours. Once I went nearly three months before I lost again. I tend to go down in blocks of 5lbs at once. I try and walk more. I am thinking of going swimming again but the loose skin is holding me back. Try and change things up a bit. Finds some new foods. Expanding my diet like being on holiday has really been good for my weight loss. I think that at some point we have to call it a day but I am sure you will go further than you are at the moment, My problem is that I am not too bothered if I stay at this weight.

Good afternoon, everyone. I'm new here. I was looking for some kind of forum where I could interact with others like me. I think I may have found it. I live in South Texas, and I had a sleeve gastrectomy in Mexico in 2009 when I was 35. I initially weighed 340 lbs and lost 149 lbs. and went from a size 32 to a size 14. My goal was a 12, but I was really happy. I was exercising 5x a week on the elliptical for a whole hour nonstop! I kept the weight off for approximately 6 years. Unfortunately, all kinds of tragic events started changing my life. In 2014 my father passed away, and I took it really, really hard. I ended up on Xanax and Ambien. In 2015, I got divorced. In 2016, my mother passed away. In 2017, I was transferred from a job I really enjoyed to a brand new location with all different people to work with. Then the COVID Pandemic kept me teaching from home for a year and a half. It was literally one heartbreak after another. Rather than looking for actual help, I helped myself... to pills, alcohol, and crap food. Over the past 9 years, I regained all my weight. Even though I still felt restriction in eating (i.e. only half a burger or 1.5 slices of pizza, with no sides or drinks and I was done). I was 10 lbs away from my original weight before my sleeve. Last year, though, my school district sent out an email stating that WLS was now covered by our insurance. I was so excited! I looked into it, made many calls, and thought coverage was out of the question because I had already had a surgery. Our insurance covers "one surgery per life." However, since my first surgery was private pay, they went ahead and accepted covering my revision to a bypass. Today is my 18th day post op. I've lost 42 lbs altogether since May 11, but only 10 of those lbs since the surgery. I feel a little blue because I was hoping for more than a 10lb loss in 3 weeks. I lost more weight at the beginning when I started a semi-liquid diet to prepare for surgery. I was doing 3 shakes and one solid, no-carb meal. I know that revisions are slower than virgin surgeries. I am doing as much reading and research as I can. I just can't help it, I guess. After my sleeve, the weight loss was phenomenal. Right now I am consuming 450 cals, 60 g protein, and keeping my carbs under 40g. I am walking around my house (not outside because South Texas) 4x a day and was told I could start on the treadmill this coming Monday. Maybe I'm doing something wrong? I'm also trying to find ways to consume fiber without a lot of carbs. I've eaten 1/2 cup of pinto beans twice but, man, that's a lot of carbs. I wanted to try raspberries, but I'm afraid of the little seeds getting stuck in my sutures. Any advice, thoughts, suggestions?

I’m in Houston, had my surgery in Pasadena. I lived in Plano for a little while, I love North Texas, it’s a lot more hilly and clean than Houston 😂 I have a couple suggestions (based on my experiences) try the Fairlife chocolate protein shakes (they sell them at Costco and Sams Club) and try the original Sabra Hummus, both are amazing after weeks and weeks of liquid diet! I had my first egg this morning, it was okay. I only got through about half of it though.