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The salty food is a great suggestion but also maybe eat whatever foods are your favorite right now. Stress can lead to weight loss so try to relax by changing your mind set from weight worry to celebrating getting to this point. Eat the food you might not get to eat for awhile. Also have you weighed yourself? You said maybe they looked at your numbers wrong, so maybe you haven't lost too much weight and you are ok. If things get too close for comfort they probably can push the surgery date back to allow you to gain some weight to be sure that insurance coverage isn't something you have to worry about.

WOW. All I can say is WOW. ***In a VERY positive way*** First: Absolutely awesome you were able to donate a kidney period, but to your daughter is amazing. Good for you, good for her! So glad to hear she is doing well! Second: Good for you killin your weight loss journey! You have to end where it makes you happy. Forget the numbers, the recommendation charts etc. Just be happy and healthy! Third: I love hearing stories where someone's spouse took the WLS plunge. Even better when they are having a great experience. I would love to be going through this with someone at the same time. Common goals, common life style. Seems good to me. Again. CONGRATULATIONS!

The loss of hunger is HIGHLY variable. The premise is that the portion of your stomach that gets removed is generally responsible for producing ghrelin, which is the "hunger hormone." But this is a bit of a misconception because there are several hormones that contribute to hunger, and the level each persons body produces is highly individual, amongst other factors. So the short answer is, no your surgery was not inherently unsuccessful, but you may be one of those who does not experience a loss of hunger. As for never feeling full, what stage of the post-op diet are you on? Are you all the way back to "regular" foods? Some folks don't experience fullness until their diet has progressed back to normal. Others are simply are able to tolerate more right from the start. This isn't a bad thing, it just means you will have to monitor your intake more closely. Maybe try adding some fruits & veggies to your meals to help bulk them up and add fiber, which will help you feel fuller longer? And if you have persistent concerns, for sure reach out to your team!

I know this isn’t a new topic but I’m in a lot of distress about this. I woke up from surgery on July 28, 2022 literally with my stomach growling. I started out weighing 203lbs, had taken the online classes a year prior and gotten a call from the surgeon on a Monday asking me if I’d like to have surgery that Thursday. He had an opening. I was not prepared at all but decided to do it. I wonder if not having done the liquid diet ahead of time contributed to my hunger? Regardless, I eat about 500 calories a day and small meals every 3 hours or so to kill the constant hunger I do take the PPi and even Prilosec as recommended on here. Does the hunger go away? I’m in the 3 week stall as well :/. I’ve only lost 16 pounds. My spirits are low right now. I don’t get that full feeling I just portion out 1/4-1/2 cup or small oz servings to know how much to eat. Food never feels trapped in my throat or anything. I hear that people have to force themselves to eat I read that the key to success with the gastric sleeve is loss of hunger and satiety and I have neither. Has my surgery been unsuccessful?

Ignore the number on the scale. What's important is how you feel about where you are. If you absolutely must lose those 10 pounds, and keep those 10 pounds off, get comfortable with dieting for the rest of your life. Sounds horrible to me, but lucky for you, you're not me. If you find you are happy and comfortable where you are, welcome to your new goal. Congratulations. You still need to eat and drink mindfully but it doesn't need to rule your life the way weight loss diets do. Go off and enjoy your life. Those numbers we have in our heads are crazy makers. Yes, you were at your best when you weighed that wonderful weight when you were younger. That's the weight you want. But your body has changed. You now have a larger frame which dieting won't change. That larger frame requires more muscle to move around that dieting wont change. If you get to that perfect number you will not look or feel like you think you will. Whatever path you choose, make sure it's what you-now want, not what you-then wanted. You-then was young and stupid. You-now are experienced and wiser. Good luck, Tek

Hello everyone! I am 20 months post VSG and for the most part I would say its been successful! I was able to donate a kidney to my daughter in January and she is doing GREAT! My hubby is 3 months post VSG and absolutely killing it! I am very happy for the most part. I have changed my goal weight a couple times and really wanted to get at a 125 or 130 but my body is just holding on to the last 10 pounds! I have tried all the tricks to get things rolling, upping my calories a tad, more exercise, less exercise and even did a three day protein shake restriction just to see if that would bump me out of this. I have a tummy tuck with muscle repair scheduled in November. My team told me this is just where my body is comfortable, he called it my new set point. Has anyone been able to knock off that last few pounds without a super crazy calorie deficit. Now that I only have the one kidney I am very aware of what goes in and out of my body and I don't want to do it any harm. I am keeping my protein at 100 grams per the nephrologist and nutritionists request and my calories run about 1300 a day. The math tells me I should still be in loss mode, but clearly I am not. I also keep telling myself that I am no longer overweight and I do not need to hyper focus on that damn scale!!!! BUT watching my hubby drop so many pounds makes me really really want that end goal! Anyway they set me up for my tummy tuck (flur de les with muscle repair) for November and I am excited for that :)

I do have to have the Psychiatrist visit to see if I am a good candidate for success. The therapists (not Psychiatrists, who are MDs, but Psychologists and certified therapists) will be ongoing to help me with my eating disorder(s) that have resulted in 50+ years of being overweight and being unable to keep weight off after one of my many weight-loss diets. I think therapy is going to be a huge help, giving me the mental tools to help me overcome my bodies need for the dopamine hit that comes with eating. And it will help me keep the weight off--ever little tool I can find to help me win this war is welcome. But OSU Bariatrics did not even give me a list of therapists that they recommend for eating disorders and bariatric patients. A little disappointing.

You can include bone broths & cream soups during the post surgery liquid stage @LookingForward22. That way you don’t have to rely on shakes. Add in some protein powder to help with meeting your protein goals. Or make your own shakes using a non dairy milk, yoghurt, protein powder. There are some flavour powders about that don’t contain sugar or artificial sweeteners - saw a peanut one recently. Congrats on your weight loss so far too.

I weight every day now and use the Happy Scale app which gives me a running average of weight loss so it smoothes out the ups and downs. I have a history of going for months conveniently "forgetting" to weigh and fooling myself into believing that I've only gained a little then when I get the nerve up, well you know the story. I even tried the Shapa scale which did not show a number, just a color based on the direction of your weight. Gained 30 pounds while I had that thing. I totally get the reasons to not weigh often, however with the app averaging the weight for me I'm actually doing a good job learning to accept those ups and downs that used to sabotage me mentally. Living with my reality instead of putting my head in the sand like I used to do. So for me, daily weighing is working.

Wow. Surgical regimes are so different. I had to inject blood thinners for a month even if I was running miles by then (I wasn't!) because of the serious risk of clots after bariatric surgery. I was prescribed a PPI for 4 weeks. I took it although I knew I was done with reflux within a few weeks of my sleeve, because my weight loss reduced my reflux symptoms so soon.

Yay, its finally real enough and close enough to fill out, congrats! I'm with you and I have no idea what a good goal for things like neck size is lol. I guess you can google average sizes and then I would be generous and aim on the high side. I've never taken any of those measurements of myself before but I do think it's an important part of this weight loss journey since sometimes the scale might not move but then a measurement will change and that can keep the positive thoughts going. I'm even having trouble thinking of goals for the next page. Just saying weight loss and exercise more don't seem specific enough. If you have goals you are willing to share for that next page, I would love to hear them so that I can come up with some better ones. I haven't started my journal yet but its coming up fast.

I have issues (digestive) when it comes to artificial sweeteners. I don’t particularly love the taste of most either. I knew going in I would have issues with the artificial sweetener in the pre-op liquid and post liquid stage when options are limited. Most times my sweet tooth is satisfied by fruits - but sometimes I want something more and try to use moderation. I have found built bars (especially the puffs), which do contain erythritol and were recommended by my nutritionist, more than satisfied my sweet tooth (and offer a nice protein boost) when I was eating solids. (That was pre-op… right now I’m a week out from being sleeved). Those were an occasional thing to tide me over on the go and keep me from getting to hungry and over eating. The Fairlife shakes, in moderation didn’t bother me, but when they were my primary source of nutrition - I struggled. I also have a milk allergy so I need to watch how much dairy I consume. I’m ok with a little - but too much and I get stomach cramps and digestive distress. When I called my nutritionist Monday because of the artificial sweetener causing some digestive irritation - she suggested moderation. One of the yogurts she suggested I try had cane sugar & fruit pectin. It was lower in sugar than regular, and had a bump of protein. I had two days to get through until purees, where I could add in real food and transition away from the shakes… so it was getting through. I try to make healthy choices, fresh fruit or no sugar added in general. Occasionally I have some things with artificial sweetener, but keep it limited because past experience has proven it will irritate and inflame my digestive system. I am working towards a balanced approach. My PCP (whose been my Dr for about 44 yrs now) has always told me he’d much rather I have less sugar in moderation than artificial sweetener as a rule. So I am trying to stay within my program guidelines and follow a balanced approach. It takes some creativity, but so far I am making it work. I have more to loose than you do, but I’m pleased with the progress I have made so far. Since I started my weight-loss journey I have lost about 75 pounds so far (50 leading up to my pre-op, 10 in the pre-op liquid phase & 15 since being sleeved last week). I might have had even better progress had I gone strictly sugar free … but I’m striving for maintainable, steady progress - something I can do forever not just a short term “diet”. Moderation seems to be working for me, but I will keep reassessing and working with my team and make adjustments as I go.

eczema ? sometimes during body stress like rapid weight loss the immune system can trigger eczema or atypical dermatitis… i have used oatmeal powdered in a food processor and mixed with shaved ivory soap (reformed into bars with a little water) for relief before when i have gotten patches

Three months after recovering from Covid I had hair loss and I took Folexin to bring it back so I know it works. I am 3 months post op right now and dreading the whole hair loss thing AGAIN! But I have my supply of Folexin ready.

Have a look at Dr Matthew Weiner’s Pound of Cure book & his you tube videos. He’s a bariatric surgeon who supports a low animal protein diet. It may not be anything all that new but may make you more comfortable about how to manage your weight loss post surgery. A good dietician should help you devise a way of eating that is best for you, your health requirements & your eating preferences. The biggest ficus post surgery is your prirein intake (& fluids) but I’ve never heard anyone say they were restricted to getting their protein only from animal sources. Plenty of plant based protein shakes & powders, yoghurts, milk, etc. as you know you can eat to meet the goals you’ll be given. Initially after the surgery you will be on a staged return to eating diet. This is support your healing tummy & not put undue stress on your digestive system. There are some foods we’re not advised to eat during this period. But again a good dietician should be able to advise you of alternatives. Mind you many have refried beans on their list of recommended foods during the staged return to eating stages. While I was on keto for my pre surgery diet, I was not encouraged to follow it long term by my dietician: good for kickstarting a diet but not long term she advised. I had my own doubts about it so I was glad. Many of us use the weight loss stage to devise a way of eating that best suits our needs & preferences & don’t follow any specific ‘diet’. I mean if there was a diet that worked for everyone none of us would have been obese & needed surgery. Personally I’m a low fat, low carb (2 serves of whole/multigrain carbs a day), low sugar & high protein (absorption issue). Many vegetarians successfully have surgery so your eating preferences should not be a deterrent to you either once you find a supportive surgeon & dietician.

all surgeons are different. If it becomes an issue you can get prescribed it after surgery. I dont know what surgery you are having but one other medication i was prescribed after surgery was a medication called Ursodiol for 1 year after surgery. It dissolves gall stones which many (not all) get after rapid weight loss. other than that i got hydrocodone in liquid form, The PPI medication for 1 month (they refused to renew it but i didnt need it anymore) Anti nausea medication that was a green liquid, constipation medication (only needed that for a week or so) and that was it.

That sounds like a strong and healthy rate of loss. Supposedly if we eat a soup with lots of sodium that an really impact the water weight we see. I'm thinking of not weighing myself every day because I'll mentally torture myself. I want to focus on how strong do I feel today? Can I sit up better today? What can I do today that was a challenge yesterday? 😊

Ouch, I hope not! Ten years ago, the accepted opinion was the whey protein was superior for supporting weight loss and preventing muscle catabolism. More recent research supports that a combination of both whey and casein is superior. I specifically picked the 2 brands I did (Premier Protein and Fairlife), because they were both milk protein instead of just whey. I don't know if this will work, but I'm going to try and post some links to research that supports this view: https://www.pnas.org/doi/abs/10.1073/pnas.94.26.14930 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/1743-7075-10-46 https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2021/FO/D0FO01960G https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/ajpendo.00106.2012 https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/british-journal-of-nutrition/article/effects-of-hydrolysed-casein-intact-casein-and-intact-whey-protein-on-energy-expenditure-and-appetite-regulation-a-randomised-controlled-crossover-study/C90335661B4E43ACA05E7C80032D951F

Ditto what others have said - I had really bad hair loss and unfortunately, it just took time. Like others, I cut it short and that helped the appearance a TON.

For me, a huge factor in making the hair loss appear worse was the fact that my hair was extremely dry and dehydrated and needed some advanced treatments to restore that moisture (as a result of chemical color and heat processing). Once I got the moisture back in there, my hair didn’t appear as frail as it previously had. food for thought.

I would talk to other surgeons. My surgeon is a major vegetable and fruit fan. As soon as I could fit it in my diet, his goal for me was 7 to 14 servings of vegetable/fruits a day. "No matter what. Just make it happen." It is great for weight loss and health. He isn't specific about the type of protein, just as long as I get 65 to 100g a day.

I know this might be a stretch but has anyone undergone weight loss surgery who had PPPD also know as Persistent Postural Perceptual Dizziness pre surgery??

Well, I'm sorta happy so far. Weight loss has slowed to a crawl; but I was tired of dieting, too. Physically, it's hard to eat too much. I generally don't get hungry, so I'm happy. I still lose, but so slowly. It's all such a personal thing! I know all I have to do is cut back a little more and I would lose more quickly. i guess if I started gaining, I would jump back on the strict bandwagon..

I wouldn't worry about it. I've looked for, but have not found a "definitive" guide as published by the ASMBS. To some extent I think these guidelines develop over time as the doctors adjust to their own preconceived ideas, as well as what their patients are telling them about their experiences. Some doctors (like mine), are very conservative in this regard, and others have looser standards based on what they've seen in their practice. In the end, I think they all work to accomplish the goal of shrinking your liver for surgery. Post-op is the same. Some plans are much more conservative than others, but long term loss shouldn't really be impacted by how soon you eat solids, for example. .

It is, and I'm not disregarding my overall weight loss. My post-surgery loss just has me discouraged at this point. 21 days in and I was hoping for more. The 2nd-week early stall was sooooo frustrating. I also compare myself hard by nature. I am also taking a family trip to Disney World at the end of September, just hoping to be closer to that 200lb mark. I am looking forward to having the ok from my doctor to start working out again, walking every day and not being able to really switch up my routine has me a little crazy.