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I was able to do desk work and chores (except the heavy lifting, of course, as per my surgeon) on day 3, but I did feel tired for a couple of weeks possibly due to low calorie intake, borderline dehydration and general recovering from surgery. Some recover fast, some recover slower but whatever your case is, don't rush back to work if you can help it. Relax and heal faster. Good luck and congrats on your upcoming surgery!

No, I didn't think it was a magic solution and I entirely know it is a tool, but at the same time - bariatric surgery has been criticized by many for the supposed rapid weight that occurs that isn't normal, which is one of the reasons why people have a whole set of new problems with hanging skin. The body can't bounce back that fast. I think there has been some "marketing" in this industry that have contributed to the expectations that some may have too - especially with before and after photos of people who may be the exception to the rule. Like I said, I don't regret the surgery at all and I am never going back, but I expected more of a woosh of weight loss at least initially.

I don't have a sweet tooth but it's so hot these days I had the craving for an ice cream sandwich the other day. So I had one of those mini Great value ice cream sandwiches (80 calories) and it was really good. I didn't dump but I never really have. I do have the foamies if I eat too fast or not chew enough. I can eat anything for the most part and not have issues. As everyone said, not many dump and you will pretty much be able to eat most foods unless you had become lactose intolerant... Etc.

I am 54 and had the sleeve done on 4/12/2023. I am 2.5 months post op and have lost 43lbs. I was concerned with age as far as losing weight as fast as some of the people who are younger, but i seem to be right on track. I was also concerned that menopause might cause slow weight loss. I like many people on here will say I wish i had done the surgery sooner!!!! Best decision ever to have the surgery! I do not regret it one bit.

Oh Lordy! Try them for me 😋 How can I be so hypocritical so fast! I just said I don’t like food anymore a few post ago but any sign of Caribbean (or Indian) food and clearly do like eating 😆

Toxins get released as we lose bodyfat and is excreted through our skin, breath and urine. Since fat stores that stuff along with hormones etc. I believe it's almost like an onion. Layers stored over the years. As we lose, we will experience certain smells and tastes. I had this happen before. Once during a 40 day water fast. It was the strangest thing. I would smell a certain food or taste it in my mouth. Whatever fat my body was disposing of that day. I kind of like when that happens but no I'm not gonna taste myself. xD

I had19 teeth extracted 2 bone graphs and a bone removed from my pallet. last year (2022) on April 25th and was fitted dentures. The bottom plate has never allowed me to eat with them, and it took 9 months for my gums to heal before I could eat (chew- or gum) again .I lived for 9 months on Ramen noodles, rice and multi vitamins. So when it came time for my pre-Bariatric surgery "diet" it wasn't a big deal. Because I had just lived through a 9 month what I called "Denture Diet" My peak weight was 245, In Nov 2021 I was referred for Bariatric surgery. Due to the fact that I suffered from Insufficient veins in my calves, causing edema in my legs and feet. Spondylosis in my L 3-4-5, Osteoarthritis in my SI joint where the sacrum and sacroiliac meet at the pelvis and the anterior cart edge in my left knew was gone. I was fit for compression socks, heavy duty knee brace and at times I had to use a cane to get up and down and to catch myself if my knee buckled.( I fell getting out of bed, 3x in 6months) I developed hyperlipidemia, and was Pre-Diabetic. I couldn't stand for more than 10 mins , squat, bend, lift, ( making the bed, sweeping or vacuuming was torture.) or walk more than a block or shop for more than 30 mins. Because of Covid everything was severely backed up, once all of my pre-surgery testing and procedures were completed, it was Feb of this year( 2023 ) . I was cleared as a perfect candidate, but again -back log. At the time they said it may be June to sometime in August before the surgeon would available , and maybe longer to find a clear OR. It took so long to get scheduled there were a couple of procedures and test I had to repeat. On April 20 (23) they called me, there a was last minute cancellation for May 22, 2023, was that doable ? Oh heck yeah ! So on the 25th they had me starting my Pre-diet, All liquids except for Cottage cheese, At almost 3 weeks in, they were concerned my weight wasn't dropping as it should be ,and asked if was following the liquid diet, I was like what ?. NO .I wasn't told to. She said yeah on the 25th. Ok well this may mean we have to re-schedule. I was so upset. She said she was going to get ahold of my Case nurse to see what to do. A couple of hours later, I was like wait a minute. I called her and said I think there was a mis-communication. I have a copy of the diet, it didn't say Liquid . Just that I was suppose to start this diet on the 25th, and on the 20th right after she called I went and stocked up on EVERYTHING, and had the receipt to prove it. I asked when you said liquid did it include Cottage cheese. She said yes, Thank goodness. Yes I HAVE been on that diet since the 25th. I am very fortunate, I am a crazy fast healer,. I had all of this trepidation about healing right, and being able to get around ASAP. I am almost 60 and everything had been falling apart. My roommate is a very empathetic, compassionate , and a generous person, but what she is not, is a caregiver. So I was concerned about that. So I had my surgery on May 22, at 9 am. Woke up later in a hospital room, I had a horrible pain in my shoulder and it felt like someone kicked me in the gut. Tuesday morning I woke, still a little sore in the tummy ( like a pulled muscle) but other than that I was fine. At 3pm she came into discharge me, and told me to call my ride ( roommate) I ended up having to walk down to the nurse's station, because she said she would be right back to get my IV out ,but she didn't return, so I hunted her down. After I got it removed , she said she was going to go get a wheelchair. So I got out of bed, got dressed, gathered my things and sat on the bed and waited, and waited, my roommate called , I am here what's going on. I said she had to get a wheel chair. So I waited some more ,after like 30-45 minutes . Once again I walked down to the Nurse's Station hunting for her and pulled a "Karen", some guy showed up with my wheelchair, quickly. My roommate had been waiting in the Patient Pick-up zone for almost an hour and a half, she was fuming. I get home, go to bed, my roommate goes and picks up my pain meds it was liquid Tylenol and Liquid Gabapentin and Celebrex. When I took the liquids I almost threw up...WTH ? Out of curiosity, I looked up the ingredients. Freaking FAKE sweetener. I cannot tell you how many times I informed them I could NOT use any fake sweeter, because it gave me severe cramping stomach aches, vomiting, or IBS. Just two days before the surgery they tried to give me three Ensure to drink ,which I already knew had the fake sweetener, and said no can do, Keep them. And now my pain killers had them. I was like do you feel actual pain? Not really, just some tenderness. So I threw them out. The rest of the day I was up and around, doing things. And the next day it was like I never had the surgery. I live at a Studio Apartment complex with 16 units. My roommate is the on-site manager. So as I went back to my normal on the 4th day, ( with the weight lift, carry, push-pull restrictions), and the tenants were all like " I thought you were having surgery this week ?" I said " I did. On Monday." None of them could believe it. So that is my story. I am disappointed with my weight loss so far, ( it's been a month) as I have only lose 17lbs since the surgery. But I also considered, due to my 9 month "Denture Diet"( I lost 25 lbs,but once I was able to eat again I got back up, so, it may have changed the immediate weight loss factor. I have lost 45 lbs. So maybe that is why. So below is my pre-food, my favorite a plate FULL of (Foie de Veau Lyonnaise) Calf liver in onions. and my new diet. 4oz ( with a total of 2oz of food) containers with liver, mashed potatoes and broccoli.

I was fine for the most part. Very little pain. Kind of bored with the liquid diet, but so is everyone! It goes by fast!

My first two weeks,I had uncontrollable diarrhea . Don't get scared - it's a very unusual happening and seems I was pretty much one of the unlucky ones. Other than that,pain was mild and only in the incisions . It went away fast. The worst part of it was being so tired . That lasted about 3 weeks and I was totally back to normal. Walking exhausted me,but I still did it. I'm 69 years old , and I'm lucky it was very easy. Good luck to you !

Hi! I was sleeved on March 7th. My highest weight was 309 lbs, and my weight after the pre-op diet was 296 lbs. I'm currently sitting at 251 lbs. I'm very excited to make it to - 60 lbs, but I'm at a bit of a stall. I walk 5-6 times a week for 20-30 minutes (20 minutes moreso lately because it's so hot outside), and I also do resistance training 2 times a week. I have way more energy than I did pre-op, which is so far my favorite aspect. I'm struggling with trying to find the balance between harder and too easy workouts right now. I can eat most food, if not all food with no discomfort. I've been sick twice, but it wasn't bad and I think it was due to me eating too fast at the time. Bread doesn't sit as easily in my stomach, but I don't miss it. I don't miss sodas, but I do miss my sparkling water. 😪 I haven't been able to see a big difference on myself until recently. I still feel like I look the same, but everyone else sees a difference and that is very encouraging. I struggle with PCOS, so I am hoping that as I lose weight, my ovulatory and fertility issues will improve, too. I'm seeing a lot of small changes so far, and it's all so exciting. It's the best decision that I've ever made.

Bravo! You should be proud of yourself. Contrary to popular belief, WLS is not the easy way out or cheating; instead, WLS is filled with sacrifice and determination. I was sleeved on March 3rd. I have had no complications and zero moments of doubts or regrets. I continue dealing with two challenges: (1) drinking too soon before and after meals and (2) eating too fast, which often results in the foamies or one bite too much which I inevitably throw up. I am a slow but steady loser. I hope to reach my goal by my 1st surgiversity. Let's hear updates from other "Marchers to Better Health".

Pinterest is a great place for recipes as well. When eating tuna/chicken/or egg salad, I don't normally eat it with anything. I want to keep the room in my stomach for the protein. To get fiber (and a little extra protein) with it, I like to add thawed frozen peas to my chicken or tuna salad. Maybe talk with your family about keeping snacks and other foods more hidden so they're not so tempting to get into. Another option is to make up your own snack boxes, so you can just pull them out. Maybe some reduced fat cheese and veggies, hummus and veggies, or whatever else you like. Meal planning (even out to eat planning) is so important for us. I have noticed that foods are way more unhealthy than we think. For example, our regular brand of pasta sauce has 16g of added sugar per serving (not to mention the added surger in a lot of food in the US), a small burger patty from a fast food place (no bun or condiments) is 280 calories, and carbs and salt are lerking everywhere in prepackaged and restaurant foods. For example, I got a cup of soup at Penara the other day and just looked at the calories when I ordered, once I tracked it in my app, it had over 2,000mg of sodium. Yikes! (Remember, track first) And I'm not scared of carbs, they just need to be the right carbs; however, they all add up. I try and stay under 60 carbs per day. So, I've learned to track before I put anything in my mouth, unless I know it meets the criteria that my dietitian has put me on. Sometimes, life happens and it's not always possible and none of us are perfect; it's really the effort we put in. Gosh, it's hard though. None of this is easy, I totally get that. And whoever said this was easy....well, I have a few words for them. I look at the surgery as a tool to help us fight back to get healthy and get our lives back, but it's still up to us to use it properly. (Not saying your not, it's more of a reminder for all of us). Again, I wish you all the best.

10 months ago I had my sleeve (with a hernia repair) done… to be honest I had expected to loose more weigh fast than I have but I’m very pleased with my progress so far. I’ve had LOTS of long stalls (weeks at a time) along the way … and I did manage to loose 57 pounds before my surgery. My highest weight was 382… surgery day I weighed 325… this morning I weighed 247. It’s been nearly 25 years since I have seen this weight! It’s taking me a while, but I’m getting there… I still have a way to go, but I can’t be mad about loosing 135 pounds (78 since my surgery). About the hunger… for me, I notice when I’m not drinking enough I feel “hungry”. It’s more about hydration (for me) than hunger. If I stay hydrated - I don’t seem to get those hunger feelings. Stick to your plan and track your intake (food and water) … it really does help. Best of luck.

My progress has been slow but steady. Sometimes I get a little frustrated because my loss isn’t as fast as others, but then I remind myself this isn’t a race and I’m working to a life long change not just a quick fix. I was over weight for most of my adult life, that change is going to take some time. I met a new “mini” goal today (I broke my weight-loss goals down into 10 mini phases/goals) so that felt pretty good. From my highest weight… I’m down 135 pounds! (57 of that was pre surgery loss, 78 since surgery). I’m hoping when I go for my 1 yr check up… I will be down 100 ponds post surgery (which will make 157 pounds lost if I hit that goal). Best of luck - hope you’re recovery is going well! You’ve got this. 🥰

PatchAid MV with iron https://patchaid.com/products/multivitamin-plus-topical-patch-patchaid And BariMelts ADEK, Dissolvable Bariatric Vitamins, Natural Strawberry Flavor, 60 Fast Melting Tablets (can find both on the store here too, I believe if not can get these on Amazon)

Hooy cow, I start my preop diet Tuesday! It's all happening very fast after months of meeting the insurance requirements. We picked up some of my center's recommended frozen dinners and ingredients for recipes. I've been a Diet Dr Pepper drinker forever, at least 20 years. We haven't had any in the house for a month. At that point I'd gone from drinking 2-3 of the 16.9 ounce bottles a day to 1 a week. (Not given it up 100%, I'll sometimes have a can at work or drink at a restaurant but I'm still hitting 55 ounces of water daily now). I do have the SodaStream syrup that I've been thinking about just adding to cold water. Tomorrow I fill out the FMLA paperwork for work and meal plan for the next 2 weeks. We're also going to take my measurements as the current starting point. We got this!

Depends what stage you are at. Doctors say you really can't stretch your new smaller stomach, but you can definitely damage it if you overeat while your tummy is still healing. Popping a staple and creating a leak can be deadly. My doctor told me of a patient who went through a fast-food drive thru on his way home from the hospital after WLS and blew his stomach out. I can't imagine....

Does anyone else have anxiety when they eat? Sometimes I eat too fast and I’m always worried that I’m going to stretch my sleeve. I know it’s probably not realistic.

I accidentally ate too fast and definitely over ate. Please tell me one time isn't going to ruin my tummy and stretch it out.

Hello everyone! I'm here and surviving but trying to deal with those dang fast food commercials. My family has planned a beach vacation and I'll be hopefuly starting soft foods by then but I don't want to say until I know more at my weekly follow up visit on Wednesday. I'm trying to drink water and diluted fruit juice to keep mt bloodsugar upm but i'm sick of diluted juices. I have no patience on this whatsoever and I know I need it. I just keep going to get to my sister's point. She's a year out so I have a long way to go to get to her level.

I can only speak for myself. That being said I’m in the US and I had to go on a “diet” before my surgery to yes decrease the size of liver. I had to stop stepping on the scale as it will drive you batty. Focus on your meal plan. 3 weeks is short period of time and it’s not expected to drop off that fast. Weight loss is only one goal. Water is one of your goals, and meeting your calorie and protein numbers is another. Your comments are kind of unusual for someone 3 weeks out tho. Usually it’s about other things, nausea, not feeling hungry…etc. if you’re skipping eating that will effect your weight loss. If you follow your meal plan to the letter you will see the difference. You didn’t really mention what stage of your meal plan you are on now (liquids, soft, purée). Best of luck.

yep, i find that the burger patties i make at home are much more calories than the ones i get at fast food restaurants! well, at least based on said restaurant's posted nutritional info. Granted, my burger patties are probably 4-5 times the size of fast food places. also the restaurants could be lying!!!

you've lost more than I did at that point, and I started out much heavier than you. there are many factors that determine your rate of weight loss, most of which you have little to no control over - age, gender, starting BMI, genetics, metabolic rate, how muscular you are, if and how much weight you lost prior to surgery, etc. The only two things you have a lot of control over are how closely you stick to your plan and how active you are. If you do well with those, you WILL lose the weight, whether fast or slow. I was a slow loser throughout my entire journey, and I ended up losing 100% of my excess weight, over 200 lbs. honestly, except for people the size of those on "My 600 lb Life", most of us lose somewhere in the 15-25 lb range the first month after surgery. Since you've lost 20 lbs in six weeks, you were likely in that range at the end of month #1. You'll always find some who lose above or below that range, but they're outliers. Your amount of loss is completely normal (and also, men tend to lose faster than women - hence, your husband...)

I had it too the other day with some scrambled egg. Again, not sure if I ate too much, too fast, or what. But it SUCKED. Wanna know what was even worse? I was at Target when it happened. Hubs was getting his hair cut and I was going to wait there, and felt yuck, so went to Target in the same shopping center. Thought it was all out and I was good. Nope. Walking around store and it just foams up in my mouth, so I ran to the kleenex aisle and got some and opened them up and used them to spit that nasty mess in. This happened 4-5 more times a tiny bit at a time while walking around, until hubs was done, and I took a little sip of water. So yeah, def going to not eat scrambled for a while.

Hi @LibrarianErin I work for an American company and have some US based family and friends so I am well aware of the 4th July. I told my boos (American) that I was having my own freedom day on the 4th I had my pre-op consultation yesterday at the hospital with the anesthetist and floor nurse. Lots of questions for me, an EGC and blood test. I asked if there was anything to do in advance food and drink wise and they said no, just fasting from the night before when I arrive to the hospital. When I said I had given up alcohol three weeks ago they said that was a "good idea" and when I then said that as of the start of this week I had switched to decaf they asked me why I would do that, there was no need!! I explained I had read online a lot where it said not to have caffeine before or after surgery, the nurse laughed and said one of the things they give as a liquid after the op is a coffee. I didn't even tell them that I had started my own version of a liquid diet for the two weeks lead up. Protein shake for breakfast and one for lunch or dinner and then a meal for the other. I am trying to reduce my portion sizes and eat slower but it is really hard. I think that is what I worry about most, being able to slow down and be more mindful. I also love to drink - water, coffee, alcohol etc. - and not sure how I will cope with tiny sips. It is very hot here, in mid to high 80s which is too much for me and I am gulping back the water non-stop. What I didn't like to hear was that I have to shave from under my breasts to top of my things including pubic area. I am not sure I have seen there in years or can easily reach down there The pain of surgery might be one thing but the pain of regrowth elsewhere could be worse for longer, not looking forward to that.