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Maybe finding a good therapist & a dietician will help your cousin get back on track. They can be very helpful during this process - supporting her through the emotional turmoil & sorting out her dietary concerns & issues. Also speaking with her surgeon (via Skype or similar) or asking them for a referral to another surgeon close to her now may be helpful too. There is no need to go back to the very low calorie, shake diet. This was in place for a specific period of time to support healing. Sure people lose weight on very low calorie shake diets but they are not sustainable & regain is usually inevitable. Eating in a way that was more like what she was doing when she well into her weight loss (say the 6 or 12 month mark) would be more beneficial: observing portions, protein & fluid goals, & eating a range of vegetables, fruit, dairy, & small amounts of low processed multi/whole grains. As @catwoman7 said a bounce back regain of 10-20lbs is very common in the 2nd/3rd years so her regain could be just that. Also I wonder if she was given reasonable expectations as to what her weight loss could be after surgery? The average weight loss after sleeve or bypass is about 65%+/- of the weight you have to lose to put you in the healthy BMI weight range. (Yes, the healthy BMI range is not always the best weight range for someone & yes, some people do exceed the average result.) She may be beating herself up with somewhat unrealistic goals ( though I understand her desire to lose more). This video may be of assistance to help your cousin look at her achievement of losing 175lbs in a different way: a success.

Something isn't adding up here. If she's getting in 109g protein, that's 436 calories right there. If she's only taking in 662 calories, then her protein would be about 65% of that. Maybe some misinterpretation of what MFP is reading? I can see that they might "recommend" 35% protein for her low calories - a typical normal diet might be 15-20%, and a bariatric weight loss diet might well be 50-60% (or more, at the beginning when we are eating little else other than protein.) 60-80g would be a typical recommendation for a woman with a sleeve, as there is no significant malabsorption involved, though some go higher than that as a means of avoiding "carbs", or under the false assumption that the extra will help avoid loss of muscle mass (it will to the point that one is actually working to build muscle mass, but the only thing the excess does, other than make expensive urine, is to avoid deficiency, but one doesn't need much extra to avoid that - the typical bariatric recommendations will cover it.) It does sound like a bariatric RD would be a good person to consult, and if she is truly only getting 6-700 calories and still struggling, then there may be some other metabolic issue going on, and some other appropriate specialist may be in order. But a good RD would be a great start in getting a good baseline of what is really happening dietwise. Starting at 400 lb, a sleeve is often somewhat marginal for getting to normal, particularly for a woman of that size (how tall is she - that's a factor as well in determining an appropriate goal and understanding metabolic issues.) You say that she recently moved cross country - where is she now - that can be a help in finding new specialists. It might be that the VSG is indeed marginal for her needs, and she really needs something stronger. A DS is a straightforward conversion from the VSG (as it uses the sleeve as its basis) and is typically the strongest metabolic tool of the mainstream procedures, so that is also a longer term consideration.

Hello, I am new to BP. So I'm ten days after SADI surgery. Doing very well. But is normal I have zero gas issues, everything has gone down fine, BM and no nausea and vomiting. But dang am I tired of liquids. why is SADI not an option on the drop down box?🧐

OK I had my DS surgery 11/15/22 I've lost 28 lbs. I've lost 2 lbs in the past 2 weeks. I thought this was gonna drastically drop off. I'm doing my protein shakes ,and water. Why am I at a stall already Sent from my SM-S908U using BariatricPal mobile app

at two years out, she should be getting double the number of calories she's getting now (if not more - depends on her height, weight, activity level, etc) - unless she's super short or has really screwed up metabolism or something. 662 calories is only common in the first few months after surgery, not at two years out. re: the 10 lb gain, most of us gain 10-20 lbs after hitting our lowest weight, so that's not uncommon. It's almost expected...(not inevitable, but it happens to most people) protein - most of us are encouraged to get 60-80 grams a day. I need 100, but that's because we discovered early on that I malabsorb it - my prealbumin level tanks if I don't get that much. But I'm not the norm. 300 is crazy. No one needs that much - not even body builders. That's so weird that the app is telling her that!! you mentioned an RD - might be a good idea for her to see one to get some good advice and guidelines on what/how she should be eating. She may have some issues that we don't necessarily know about (like me and my protein issue....)

My insurance approved me pretty fast too once they got the information. I took the first surgery date I could get and had the procedure in Nov 2022. For me, the hardest part was the pre op liquid diet those protein shakes were just too sweet. After my surgery a friend of mine put together a protein concoction that i could live with, she put a protein shake, fage greek yougurt 0% unflavored, protein powder and coconut in the blender. Once i drink all of that in a day i know i got about 87 gm of protein. It is not too sweet and it works much better than the straight protein shakes.

CROSS POST Hey all! I'm a 3 timer (I've had all 3 surgeries: lap band, sleeve, and bypass, currently underweight, struggling to keep weight up after losing colon in emergency surgery about 10mths ago but still remember what being overweight was like). My cousin had the VSG about 2 yrs ago at almost 400 lbs and has been semi successful and has lost close to 175lbs but over the past 9 mths or so has plateaued becuz of numerous "reasons" (moving across country marital woes, works stress, you name the stress, heredity,, etc.). She has reached out to me for help, as I admin a FB group for people with wls's + i was fairly successful (before I lost my colon, lol ) as she's desperate for help before it gets out of hand. She's gained 10 lbs in the past 10 mths since moving cross country and doesn't want to continue on. So, for the past month (and yes, even during the holidays), she's kept a strict journal which she always during her active losing phase. She sent me the last few days worth. I was dismayed to see her intake/output. Literally I think she's starving herself. She's taking in 662 calories a day and exercising 280 . This means she's getting in maybe 380 cals a day. And shes' a special needs teacher and a mom of a 6 yr old! OMG! She's drinking a lo cal protein shake for bfast and lunch and eating a super lo cal protein/veg dinner. She's getting in plenty of water and her vits, luckily. I think she's starving. But she said she's tried every variation of every single meal variation out there and she's frustrated she wants to cry. She's been on every "diet" her entire life and this sleeve was her saving grace and the only thing that worked - for a minute. Until the honeymoon was over. It's been about 2 yrs and now the hard work actually starts and I've told her this. Ok, I just got this info from her when I asked her how much protein she was getting: 109 gms a day. MFP shows only 35%. And she downloaded the ACTUAL MFP pie chart to prove to me this WAS the case and OMG! This is TRUE. Since when is MFP encouraging people to get almost 300 gms of protein a day? What protein u don't use, u pee out. Unless u r an unlucky few that r prone to kidney disease and then u get kidney dz! Seems ridiculous. Almost 300 gms!? And now they charge u? I told her she really doesn't need more than 70-80. I need some input on how to help her. Some ,meal/snacking solutions. I dont think she needs to know that she needs to increase her protein as she's already getting an overabundance in that department. Maybe something her dr can do for her? Tests or something? Metabolism tests? Is this done with blood or what? Or can it be done by a RD? HELP! Marci X POSTED

Zero Sugar Pedialyte. Gatorade zero with protein, Gatorade fit. Bone broth. With my doctors it is more about staying hydrated. I was told to push the pedialyte and Gatorade for electrolytes. Protein shakes. the pedialyte I tolerate better then Gatorade. also recommend a hot water bottle to help push the gas through and gas x. And may want to alternate hot water bottle with ice pack until the pain has resided.

Hi. It could be that you aren’t getting enough protein.

Some people sweat a bit after eating proteins, google protein sweats.

My pre op is 14 days liquid diet. 4-6 protein shakes a day and 1/2 cup of V8 and up to three pickles. Us drink 64 ounces of water minimum

It's now been nearly 3 years since my surgery (34 months), and a year and a half since this post, so I thought I'd post an update. Mostly, I'm still gloriously happy with my results! I still have my protein powder latte most mornings, and eat 2 eggs about every other day. I still aim for 6000 steps a day and get them about 2/3 days. I did indeed lose and then regain. When I made this post at the 18 month mark, I was 140 lbs (down from 208 before surgery). I hit my low point of 136 lbs at 23 months. I'm currently 142 lbs. (Though a few lbs might be holiday/too-cold-to-walk weight - 139-141 lbs has been my usual for the 6-8 months.) But curiously, I also went down a pants size in the past year as I was slowly regaining - from size 6 to size 4. So I expect that a few pounds of the regain could be muscle lost during the rapid weight loss phase right after surgery. One of my friends told me I look better now than I did a year and a half ago. I'm not sure that I can tell any difference from looking at my photos though. May 2021, 14 months post, 142 lbs Feb 2022, 23 months post, 136 lbs. Face does look a little thinner. Dec 2022, 33 months post, 142 lbs. A tad less cheeky compared to the previous one at this weight, but mostly my skin looks better.

Made more mini pizzas! Switched from full fat cheese to low fat string cheese & it brought each pizza down to 183cals! & 24g of protein. LOVE these so much

After surgery its going to be very hard to get the full amount of protein and water in. So dont stress if you dont even get half in right after surgery. It took me several weeks before i could get enough protein in and water was a struggle for a while. Buy little 1 ounce cups on amazon and pour an ounce and work on each individual ounce. The surgeon should give you a paper to let you know how much protein and water to get in daily. Just do your best. one premier protein shake typically has like 30 grams of protein. Thats about half of what you need daily. you wanna shoot for about 50-60 grams of protein daily and 48-64oz of fluids daily like water. (your protein shakes count as fluid)

My surgery is Tuesday! My question is about protein drinks following surgery. I know in the beginning with liquids they suggest 3-4oz an hour. If I'm having a Premier Protein for a meal, am I only supposed to do 3-4oz of it, or can I have the whole drink? I keep forgetting to ask this at appointments and I know I can next week, but I figured I'd ask here also.

Hi all Hope you all had a great holiday break. I'm 2 months post op, and I can chug water very easily, I've had 0 issues with liquids this past month. I even made one of my proteins shakes with 500mls water and drank it all in about 30mins. It's weird because I can't eat egg, like at all, half an egg, instant regret, start foaming right away. Rice, same, a table spoon or 2 of rice results in foaming. As for other foods, I've been fine, I can eat meat so easily. There isn't any meat I've had an issue with. I'm even eating Beef jerky, but obviously there's a limit to how much my stomach can hold and it's about 1/4 -1/3 a cup of food every 2hours. Water or liquids however, I can fit in a whole lot more around 1-2 cups, every 30mins. So is it normal to be able to chug water? Is it just going through my stomach easily? I've also accidently drank while eating a few times, freaked out but had 0 issues. My Surgeon said to NEVER drink and eat, and that I won't be able to for the rest of my life, yet, I've done it a few times, and had 0 issues. So I'm not sure why and what's happening. Anyone else notice this happening? Any words of wisdom?

I found the pre made shakes to be good. The Ensure max protein Vanilla is really good.

First of all, I'm so proud of you for reaching out to get treatment. That is truly the hardest part! As a fellow anxiety sufferer, I can tell that it DOES get better. As someone who also had WLS I will tell you, from my experience, any amount of weight my meds may have contributed to is NOTHING compared to feeling healthy and strong and not carrying the burden of chronic anxiety. I was on treatment prior to WLS so its hard to say what impact, if any, it had. But even if I were starting today, knowing it might impact me weight, I would absolutely do it in a heartbeat. YOU ARE WORTHY OF GOOD MENTAL HEALTH. That being said, Zoloft may contribute to a ~1% weight gain over the course of the first year of treatment, which is pretty negligible. And its helpful to remember that the med itself doesn't cause the weight gain, the changes in habits it can lead to are what cause the gain. So if you stick to your good habits (hit your protein, drink your water, move your body) you will be just fine. We are rooting for you!

Hang in there! I lost 20 pounds in the first 2 weeks, then stalled for almost a month. I finally started losing again, but at a slower pace. The meds might have something to do with it, but it might not. If you're not getting enough calories (what does your plan say?) then your body is going to just store everything that it can get. That could be a reason why you're not losing. Also, make sure you're hitting your protein and hydration goals - those will stall you if not met, as well.

Anyone have any experience with it? I'm 8 months post op and my hair is still coming out like crazy. I'm lucky I started out with a LOT of thick hair, otherwise I feel like I would be darn near bald by now lol I've been seeing ads for Nutrifol everywhere, and while it sounds and looks really good, I just want to see if anyone here has ever used it and if it actually does what it says. I know it's a waiting game for the hair to stop shedding, and I know protein consumption is the best thing for hair regrowth. But any additional help I can give my poor head, the better, you know?

Hi there. I haven’t been on this forum for a while. Everything that you’re feeling is normal I’m right there with you. I had revision surgery six months ago due to severe Gerd and I can tell you that I am not hungry and I eat because I need to or I’m bored. I have a delayed sense of fullness but is nothing like the sleeve. My surgery was in May and it took months before I even felt that. I do have to be careful because once the fullness does hit is miserable. Even then it is nothing like the restriction that I felt from my sleeve. The valve is gone so it’s all about receptors at this point . Keep watching your portions you know what you need to consume get your protein and eat some veggies and drinking water . I was never hungry with my sleeve either. I hope that helped.

I threw CiCi off because I double posted a post in a new topic in a separate forum. https://www.bariatricpal.com/index.php?/topic/442800-MeThreeSixty,-Baritastic,-or-other-helpful-apps How are the rest of you doing on recovery? 600 calories doesn't feel like enough now toward the end of the night. I feel hungry and I haven't gone back to work yet. I actually got 75g of protein yesterday, but 635 calories and my tummy was hungry with pangs last night. Sent from my Pixel 5 using BariatricPal mobile app

Kim this is so cool! I'm definitely going to try this out. So you guys, I had my first dumping incident this morning and I'm shook. It was so, so horrible. I woke up at 2.30 am with stabbing pains in my stomach, sweating profusely, extreme weakness and retching. I actually thought my pouch had burst and I was going to need an ambulance, the pain was that bad! Thankfully it passed almost immediately once I went to the toilet, but man that was scary stuff! The culprit was the soy milk I mixed my protein shake with, since it's all I had within 4 hours of the episode. It's the only thing I've done differently. I thought dairy alternatives would be fine and picked soy because it's so high in protein. I had 200ml. The fact it caused me that much pain means I'll never gamble on skipping ahead in the food stages, anyway [emoji23] An inconvenient lesson, but not one I'll forget!!! I'm also not allowed coffee during the liquid phase, but wonder if it will taste ok, reading the thread! Hope everyone is doing great [emoji3590] Sent from my Pixel 4a (5G) using BariatricPal mobile app

I have bad breath, anyone else. Maybe now starting regular food and less protein drinks will help. Anyone else?

My son showed me how to make his cashew sauce. Soak unsalted cashews in hot water 1 hour. Puree with little of the water. Add a whole bunch of cilantro leaves to it. Second batch he added Sriracha. These sauces were great and great protein. I'm adding an Asian sweet chili sauce.