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I feel totally lost too I didn’t really get much after care apart from a cpl sheets of paper with some basic advice on. I have my six week follow up on 10 march 2025.

@AmberFL that period hunger is a different beast! I allow myself to indulge as well. Everything in life Ebs and Flows. Some weeks I don't even want to eat, some weeks I'm ravenous. Obesity life long disease we have to manage 😐😐😐😐

A high dose multivitamin and a nasty calcium tablet every day. Then 2 PPI's to keep the acid at bay. Then every three months I have a B12 injection. I might be able to get rid of some of these this year as I believe I have a very good balanced diet now

I am so glad I'm not the only one who eats sweets every day. I told myself that I was not going to restrict myself from eating sweets, knowing that I like sweets, I didn't wanna set myself up for failure so I include them just as I do protein and healthy food that I have to eat. OMG I'm going to try your peanut butter balls. 🤪😋! Simplest form for my cups would be to find your favorite chocolate (no sugar added or high coca content), add coconut oil to it for the fats. Microwave it. I work out a lot I'm not afraid of fats. Buy your cup molds, then really have fun with it put whatever you want in it. I try something new every week. Pop in freezer 30 mins. I don't give measurements cause you'll have to tweak it to your dietary thingy things. 😂, @AmberFL

hi my paperwork says from week 3-4 purree and week 5-6 soft foods then onto normal food. I am also am missing savory food..

Hello! I am 4 weeks post-op, and I am curious about what type of supplements people take - such as fiber, calcium, or any others you want to share. Thank you!

I think I can count this as NSV! So I am pretty certain my body is done losing weight and I am going to stay at a healthy 165-170lbs, I am cleared to exercise again (i.e walking, hiking, stationary bike, lower body weights). I am back to working out 6 days a week with 3 of those days being strength training/cardio. I have never been in this spot where I am just maintaining, meal prepping is a thing that I do and I don't dread it, working out is just part of my day, not binging and just being able to eat sweets in moderation or if I go crazy then the next day I just get back on track and don't slip. Is this what regular, never been obese people live and feel?! I was reflecting on the past year and reflecting how much I yo-yo'd since I was 12yrs old. How I was killing myself putting junk in my body every single day, easily eating 5000 calories if not more a day, eating well and losing the water weight 10lbs then get discouraged and give up. The day I decided I was going to go through with the gastric sleeve and take my health back was the day I read this!

Hi guys, I've been very up and down with my emotions on this journey I have taken only 6 weeks ago. I am struggling mentally with intrusive food thoughts and I am coming to terms with just how serious a problem I had around food and still do, its early days. I know many of you have been through the same struggles emotionally. I was just looking for your experiences to reassure me that I'm not alone in this and that things will get better. I don't regret having the sleeve because I am feeling so much better health wise, I'm just struggling! I don't eat or crave junk food anymore, I just miss eating and my mind is telling me I'm hungry when I know I'm not! Thank you for hearing me out again! x

Everyone dumps in a different way. This sounds like yours. I’m 5 years out. A food that I ate just fine one week can make me dump (I usually get nauseous) the next. There is no rhyme or reason to what does it to me. I just lay down until it passed.

I am the same. I did count a few times a week during weight loss phase, and for a whole month when I stabilized at 9.5 months out but then I ditched it. I know roughly how much I eat, and I do random checks too. When I was at my fittest I never tracked calories and that worked for me through adulthood and motherhood. I do however, weigh myself at least a couple of times a week, something I never did even while being in shape. What gets measures gets managed. Not gonna lie, the first few months are a mental challenge, while I rapidly lost weight, I was always anxious that I would stall/stop losing/gain weight. I was always worried and on edge. I know it's easier said than done, but your body will do its thing, stick to your plan and try to trust the process. I would also say that it will not always be like that. After I stabilized, I tested my body, I ate more/ate things I didn't for a while and saw if that changed anything. With time and through trial, I am much more relaxed now and my mind is at ease. That is not to say that I let go, not at all. I eat well, I workout daily but I am much more relaxed when it comes to the flexibility I allow myself. I understand my body much better and I trust myself to make the right choices with what I'm given. Another advise is, try to stick to your plan as much as possible until you've stabilized, maximize on the honeymoon phase where pounds melt off and it's easy. There will always be time to have a little bit of the things you can't now. If you haven't yet, try to find an activity you enjoy, walking, jogging, pilates, yoga, swimming, cycling ...etc. whatever it is that you can and enjoy doing, it makes all the difference. Also, freeing your mind of anxiety is the biggest gift you can give yourself. Good luck 💓

I’m not a calorie counter. Didn’t have to & I was happy about that. I’d done it before and for me it just made me think about food more and I found it annoying and frustrating. However I would check my calorie intake and I still do random checks especially about new foods or recipes. I was more vigilant about portion size because that was the requirement I was given (1/4- 1/3 cup from purée slowly increasing to a cup at around 6 months). I still watch that carefully though I’m more aware now of the portion size of what I’m eating without having to get my scales or measuring cups & spoons out regularly. And I can eat more than a cup of course. I’m probably equally vigilant about the nutritional quality of what I eat. (Sister-in-law was just telling me about a new protein bar she’d found and I’m googling the nutritional info & ingredient list & comparing it with the one I already eat.) If you are required to track your intake then you have to track every single thing you put in your mouth to eat or drink. It can be very easy to consume a lot of extra calories without realising it even ‘healthy’ ones. If your team hasn’t set this as a requirement, than do what you feel most comfortable with. You know your relationship with food and eating getter than anyone. Though I’d probably at the very least do random checks if it isn’t a requirement. Yes, stalls are frustrating and can be depressing. Remember they are an important part of the process and it’s the time your body shuts down to take stock of where you are now Whithead your weight loss and changing diet, and what your needs are around things like digestive hormones, metabolism, etc. Weight loss is stressful on your body & it needs to take a breath to better manage the changing situations much like you do psychologically during a stressful time. The stall will break when your body is ready. Stick to your plan and don’t stress your body more than you are required to by your plan. It will be okay. All the best and I hope your surgical site heals soon.

Hello everyone! I'm checking in - @ShoppGirl- It sounds like you've really been through the wringer! You are a superstar for managing both chemo, a virus, and surgery recovery all at the same time and I hope you're being gentle with yourself and giving yourself lots of pats on the back! @Chatterbox - YES - portion sizes have gotten more flexible; for me taking an ADEK supplement has helped with the hair shedding; I've gone through that to a point as well and typically have VERY thick hair and I've noticed some extra shedding but even with that it hasn't thinned my hair dramatically. @Justarwaxx - You're doing great!! Please be kind to yourself! With increased activity level the calorie consumption does have to go up so you can keep up your energy! Now that I'm using my Fitbit I am able to better see my activity levels - I haven't hit 10k in a day but I got close a couple of days and my average went below 5k per day while I was sick as well (Gosh it's going around!) but I think the important thing is to LISTEN to your body, give it fuel, and just try to have more calories spent than you take in. I'm burning over 3k calories more days than not so if I eat a few carbs, a piece of bread once in a while, a half a sandwich, some veggies - that's ok. I think a lot of it is knowing and understanding the difference like so many have said on 'head hunger' vs 'physical hunger'. Usually at a given meal I eat maybe a total of a cup of food; I try to aim for at least half of each meal to be protein, then veggies, then maybe a little rice or other starch. I'm hit and miss on my food logging; I slipped for a few weeks and am trying to reset. I wanted to repost these recipes I used during the puree period because I don't know about ya'll but I tend to find things that work well and then totally forget they exist! Lately I've been doing lots of soups for myself and my family. I made an easy chicken noodle soup yesterday with half a rotisserie chicken breast, I steamed carrots and celery in the microwave until they were soft, sautéed some diced onion in garlic and onion with a little chicken broth, then added it all together with the cooked chicken breast cut up and more chicken brother. I threw in a small handful of egg noodles and let it all simmer. When I do something like a soup with meat I try to serve myself up a bowl that is heavy on the chicken and light on the veggies. You can do basically the same thing with broccoli, cabbage, and canned or fresh diced tomatoes. Fluids and healthy veggies with a protein is my go to; and I'm doing pretty well with my personal progress. You all got this! Don't get discouraged when you go through stalls; some weeks I will lose about 2 lbs and then the next week I might lose 6 lbs; it's all a process and the weight loss will slow and become more steady as long as you watch your calories, eat healthy at least 80-90% of the time - it's about getting your nutrients and staying at a calorie deficit. ❤️ Reposted recipes from earlier: "I'd say the hardest part for me continues to be the 'No drinking 30 mins before/after meals' but I use the Baritastic app to set a time. I also use the timer to make sure my 'meals' take at least 30 minutes. Want to make sure I don't rush and end up feeling poorly afterward. Things that have worked well for me during my puree stage include egg drop soup, chicken/tuna salad made with puree chicken or tuna, light mayo, and sometimes a bit of relish, and for added protein a boiled egg or two, with or without the yolks per preference. (Dill relish is healthier than sweet relish). I did allow myself 2-3 saltines with those, usually about 3.5 oz of the tuna or chicken salad makes me feel sated. Other recipes that have worked include the ricotta bake and unstuffed cabbage rolls, pureed low fat/0 sugar yogurt or cottage cheese with Genepro powder and cooked, strained strawberries or blueberries (I added a bit of 0% Milk to make it more of a smoothie), Riccotta pureed with either a bit of fruit or avocado, small serving of oatmeal pureed with fruit (test yourself with an ounce or two less than you normally eat for oatmeal because it sits heavy and often swells - add some zero or skim milk to make it thinner if needed. Other recipes include homemade no-noodle chicken soup of sorts with rotisserie chicken, chicken broth, and pureed carrots w/a little bit of onion powder or diced onion. I also made a homemade 'philly cheese steak' filling of sorts with some sautéed bell peppers and a bit of diced onion, some roast beef lunch meat, and cream cheese. Others speak highly of pureed refried beans with a bit of seasoning to taste more like taco meat, adding either a bit of mild salsa or a combination of onion powder and perhaps a bit of cumin. That's a personal choice, and definitely suggest going slow with your seasoning due to possible heartburn. You could add a bit of shredded low-fat/skim mozzarella or even low fat sour cream to round it out. Today I made 'chicken pot pie w/no crust' which was basically just cooked carrots and finely diced celery and onions with finely diced rotisserie chicken with a can each of 98% fat free cream of celery and 98% fat free cream of chicken. I haven't had any yet because I'm a little unsure about the celery, even cooked, but pureed and in a small serving I'm sure it would treat me fine. The Ricotta Bake I made was super simple and I know there are a lot of variations to the recipe online. I made my own marinara sauce by peeling about 5 smallish tomatoes, dicing them, and simmering them with a little less than equal parts water, Italian seasoning, and a bit of diced onion. The ricotta mixture was easy; just used 8oz ricotta cheese, 1 egg, 1/2 cup of grated parmesan (I used the shaker but fresh is better) and 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese. I put a layer of half the mix on the bottom of a buttered baking dish, topped it with 1/2 lb cooked and seasoned ground beef, then put the rest of the mixture on top. Poured about 3/4 of the homemade marinara over it then covered the dish with aluminum foil and baked at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes. It's basically a no-noodle lasagna. The Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls I made were equally easy - I used a rotary grinder (Works SO well, bought on Amazon for around twenty bucks) to grate half a head of lettuce. Instead of canned diced tomatoes I once I again peeled about 5 small/medium tomatoes and diced them, adding to the skillet along with maybe 1/8 cup diced onion and another 1/2 lb of the ground beef. For seasoning the recipe I used just had me add a packet of Italian Dressing Seasoning mix. The family enjoyed it and after pureeing the ground beef a bit I found it fine to eat, although slowly and very well chewed. Both it and the Ricotta bake probably make about eight 1/3 cup servings with about 22g of Protein each.

Yes all of the above. I still calorie count everything, every day. I log it religiously. I weigh myself every day. I am super scared of repeating my past mistakes. My first stall was scary. The second, well it was still a fright. By the third, I was quite used to them. Further along, I had a three month stall and everyone said I was done but I was no where near my goal so kept doing the same good things. It broke in its own good time and I chugged down a few more stones. In the end I chose my goal weight and with help from my team, upped my calories. That was a scary trip for me. I had to relax a bit. That was tough because I will not go back to being over 199lbs. Like you say, you have lost so much weight already. A lot more than 90% of us have, at six weeks. Your body needs to recentre itself. You will have to have faith and stick with the plan. We are all proof that this does work. Just take our word for it for now. Wait it out. x

I am so sorry this has happened to you. Its a rare complication that I havent seeen on here before. I have a diabetic husband who heals ridiculously slow up to me. He had a leg ulcer that took 9 months to heal. I seem to heal over night. I am not squeemish but if I was in your shoes I would ask the nurse to change my dressings more often, so that I wouldn't need to. At least until you stop weaping. The surgery has your hormones all over the place anyway so that won't help your mood. Look at it for what it is, a small inconvenience. Keep your chin up and your reward will be that hopefully, your diabetis will be gone. Take your vitamins, sleep well and eat as well as you can considering you are only 6 weeks out, it will all help the healing process x

Definitely a gamer here! I love the Zelda series, mario, and animal crossing. Stardew valley and Diablo 3 & 4 get their hooks into me and suck me in for a few weeks at a time. My true love though, is World of Warcraft. I've been playing it off and on since release. I'm not up with current content though, I've only played classic era the last few years. 🙂 I have to say, I love dual monitors! Lately, when in a flight or waiting during raid prep before we do anything, I turn on a step aerobic video and get some movement in at my desk to kill time! It's how I justify still playing games post surgery!

As of this morning, I reached the goal weight I had set for myself last April when my husband and I committed to our new lifestyle! I am back down to the weight I was at when we first got together, which was 8 years ago last week. I am setting a new stretch goal for myself to lose 15 more pounds, but I plan to take that very slowly. As long as I keep trending slowly down, I will be content.

Hi guys I just thought I would check in with you all and tell you of my progress, trials and tribulations! I'm nearly 6 weeks post-op and I am still adjusting to my new life. I am doing very well all things considered, except that one of my surgical sites reopened and is not healing properly, don't worry I am having medical support from the doctor and nurse, I just feel a bit down with it to be honest. I'm type 2 diabetic and my glucose levels have stabilized which is awesome! I lost 2 stone 1lb in just under a month which is amazing, I did stay the same last week which was disappointing but I guess my body needs time to catch up! I'm struggling mentally with self-imposed restrictions and triggering situations like food shopping etc and I wondered if you guys could help me gain some clarity I am one of the unlucky ones that still experiences real hunger and it is definitely not head hunger. I need to eat around every 2 hours, I am getting all my protein in and my fluids and I'm eating around 700 cals a day. My problem is that when I feel real hunger I panic and I don't know why! I have had lots of therapy and I am in a very good place now after many years of struggles with my mental health. I guess I was expecting not to feel hungry like most other people, and that was the case until about 3 weeks ago! The self imposed restriction is calorie counting! I am conflicted about whether I should be counting the calories in non starchy veg such as sprouts, cucumber tomatoes, gherkins, beetroot etc and fruit such as blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and satsumas. Should I be counting calories at all? I'm eating around 700 cals a day at the moment. I am committed to eating healthy and do not crave junk food anymore which is awesome! I go for whole foods mainly and low carbs. Previously when I have given myself restrictions before I have done great for a few months then fallen off the wagon. I know it is different this time as I have a new tool, but it's taking my brain a while to catch up! I know that I am at the early stages at the moment and still learning my fullness cues and practising a fair amount of control, I used to eat mindlessly, now I think about everything that goes in my mouth. What do you guys think of this? I also worry that my weight loss will stall and I know it's only been a week so far and its not a stall until 3 to 4 weeks, but I have seen it so many times on lots of forums and it worries me a bit to be honest. I know that no one really knows how their weight loss is going to go as everyone is unique and I need to stop overthinking things but its so hard when I have done it all my life! Did any of you guys have similar worries or concerns in the early stages and did it resolve itself? Any advice would be great! Thanks in advance x

I was looking for an introductions forum, which was mentioned somewhere, but couldn't find it, and this seemed the most appropriate place! I just joined the site after reading - well listening to - Alec Brecher's book on the gastric bypass. I'm George, I'm 43 year olds and I currently live in Spain after a lot of moving around. I've been overweight all of my adult life, but I have rapidly gained a lot more weight in the last few years. Considering bariatric surgery was first recommended to me by my doctor a few years ago, but it was right before the pandemic and that interrupted the process I was on at the time. I am now scheduled to have (hopefully) gastric by pass on April 15th, privately, at a clinic in Latvia. I decided to pay for it myself since the wait time to do it on my government plan in my part of Spain right now is said to be about three years. Currently I am on Rybelsus to help me loose some weight before the surgery, and there's been /some/ success. I expect to be on the liver reduction diet for a month before the surgery and I have to admit I'm not looking forward to it! I look forward from learning from everyone on this forum.

Hi guys, I'm feeling a bit low so I thought I would reach out, everyone seems so friendly here. I had sleeve surgery nearly 6 weeks ago and one of the surgical sites just wont heal. They were all fine, scabbed over and looking great until two weeks ago when they starting weeping. When this happened I covered them up with an antiseptic cream and saw the doctor who prescribed antibiotics for an infection I had. The scab came off on one of them along with the stitches leaving a sizeable hole which scared me to death! Now this hole won't seem to heal. It is about as 1cm deep and 1.5 cm wide. The nurse is packing and dressing it twice a week, but it's really getting me down. I am type 2 diabetic so I know that alone indicates slow healing but my glucose levels are right down now since the surgery which is great. Has anyone else had problems of this nature? It's really getting me down and it makes me feel queasy when I have to have it changed.

I have blood in my stool 3 weeks after Gastric bypass surgery. Worried

Congrats on 10 years! I think we all will have ups and downs our whole lives! Just life! I too was 277 at my highest ever. Lost 100 lbs before and 60 lbs three times, and 20 and 30 lbs several times and it always came back slowly over the next few years. So I got the sleeve done Dec 2 last year and have gone from 244 at start of liquids before surgery to 202.4 today. Almost to Onederland! I love all the tips you shared. Snacking and drinking calories are DEFINITELY culprits to regaining our weight! I bring divided out grapefruit every day lately if I do want something. Or berries or cucumbers. And I've been drinking water during the week and add in my tea and coffee on the weekends usually. But I use Stevia. I was divorced a few years back also and remarried and my husband is pre-diabetic. He doesn't eat sugar now so that helps me too. 🙂 He eats healthier than I do since he found that out too. Determined to not become diabetic. He eats baked fish, grilled shrimp, spinach and cabbage, etc. LOL! He's got some great willpower. You and I seem to have lots in common! But I don't like beer. LOL! It's probably better for me though than pina coladas, which are my fave! LOL! I haven't had one in a year or longer. And just had surgery about 3 months ago. You can tell I hardly drink at all. 🤣 I am so glad to know restriction stays! Some people say it fades. I'm glad it doesn't! Hopefully we can continue to lose and get to a weight we are happy with this year! 💗

I'm an old VSG Vet, had my surgery in 2014. Initially lost a successful amount of weight. had some serious 'life' events- change of job, change to night shift, loss of parent, went to grad school and graduated, went to a second grad program, changed career path, etc. I was told in 2017 I had a serious metabolic issue with my liver and that helped me really get focused, went to keto and lost all the regain I had plus much more, resulting in 100lb total loss. Since then, though, I've regained probably 50-60 lbs. I still feel some restriction which is great. Long time issue has been GERD, it was severe PRE surgery but my quite renowned surgeon assured me that with the weight loss, the GERD would subside. It did. But with the weight gain over last 2 yrs, it's back and BAD. I have EGD and colonoscopy coming up in a few weeks to assess the damage. I'm very scared due to the ongoing severe nature of the symptoms I'm having. I'm a healthcare provider so I know all of the 'things' that could present. Because of all this, I'm heavily considering a revision. I have been on PPI for over 20 years. While my magnesium is fine, my bones are already having a lot of issues AND I'm scared to death of the brain effects. What should I consider with revision, same doctor, different doctor, etc? Also I know that weight loss can be slower, but what type of rate of weight loss can be expected? Lastly, what kind of time off from my career can I hope for? I took 6 solid weeks with my VSG and it helped get my brain, behaviors etc really corrected before going back into the workplace.

Just checking in to see how everyone else is doing. I had a rough few weeks after I got a virus. Just because of the chemo my body couldn’t fight it so I ended up septic and in the hospital for 10 days with pneumonia and a sinus infection. My white blood cells kept bottoming out but they gave me this shot two times to build them back and so far this time they are holding at low normal. Tomorrow will be a week that I’ve been home and I think I am out of the woods finally, but I am still pretty weak and I am supposed to do treatment Monday so I doubt I will get to feeling much stronger. Probably won’t feel like myself until I’m done with the chemo. 10 more weeks 🤞 I am trying to do a tiny bit of waking like a quarter of a mile at a time a few times a day just so I don’t get out of the habit of exercise but that’s about all I can do. I also contacted the cancer center that one of my doctors is a part of and talked to the yoga instructor and asked if they have a virtual option for the chair yoga and when I explained my situation she said she would get with IT and make it happen for next week. I thought that was so sweet and hopefully will be something I can do to start building my strength back. She said next month they are going to add mat yoga as well so I can build back up to that when I am ready. Anyways I’m pretty proud of myself that I’m still trying every step of the way to keep up with my bariatric journey. I may not be 100% right now but unlike pre surgery I am not letting this be an excuse to just throw it all away. I had a birthday and it was a little unconventional because it had to be virtual but it turned out to be a nice day considering. My mom dropped off carrot cake so of course I have that taunting me In the kitchen. I have been doing real tiny pieces though and it’s actually starting to taste a little stale. Who knew that cake can get stale 😂

I don’t know why I’m suddenly getting messages again I deleted myself from this form as I found it toxic. I came here for support and was told no one believes me my body went into complete starvation mode. They sent me home until they had test results, everyone said they didn’t believe me because they sent me home three days later my kidneys failed. I missed Christmas with my kids because I was in the hospital. Spent three weeks there on IVs. They eventually had to make my pouch bigger. miss a hell of a lot thought this form would help me and I got responses that no one believed me great support deleting myself from this again just know this form can be toxic. I cried hysterically after the responses I got thank you all for not supporting me. Good luck to all of you.

Hey guys! Thanks for taking your time to read and answer I appreciate it. I had Gastric Sleeve last Friday the 14th. I have had a few moments where it felt like I was having low blood sugar, because I was/am prediabetic. It will go away even eating a sugar free popsicle will make it better. My bf told me it's not my blood sugar cus sugar free wont fix that. I have just had a handful of moments that felt like i would pass out if i didn't get something in me. Is that normal? I get in all my fluids and then some, ate my 2ox 3 x a day liquid diet as well. I was getting about 40 grams of protein a day which was all I could really fit in in three meals of 2oz lol. Today I am starting puree so I am expecting it to get better but just curious. I've had 0 complications and 0 dumping as well.