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Hi @Allie727- I had my procedure done in January at Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. From what I’ve read online, compared to what they recommend for post-procedure guidelines, they recommend a pretty strict diet. Did the clinic provide you with how much food to consumer at each phase, along with how many calories? Here’s what they had me follow: - Weeks 1-4: Liquid diet (protein shakes + regular Gatorade). 60-80g protein, 64 oz liquids, less than 1,000 cals a day. I was probably only consuming 400-500 a day. - Weeks 5 & 6: Pureed foods (no more Gatorade). 60-80g protein, 64 oz liquids, 600-700 cals a day. A meal should be 2-3 ounces of food. - Weeks 7-10: Soft foods. 60-80g protein, 64 oz liquids, 700-900 cals a day. A meal should be 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup. I just started a regular diet/regular food today, 3/24. 60-80g protein, 64 oz liquids, under 1,200 cals (but I have a call with the dietitian in a week to see if that’s correct. A meal should be 1 cup to 1.5 cups. Like you, protein and water has never been an issue. I’ve never really felt restricted. I definitely feel full after I eat, but not sick-full at after eating. They also recommend you take at least 30 mins to eat. I found that if I finish my food quicker than that, I’ll get a stomach ache. I felt bloated earlier on post-procedure, but that slowly goes away. 6 weeks out, I had lost about 34 lbs at that point, but everyone is different!! Hope this helps!

We wondered the same thing, as drinking protein shakes in between our puree meals (2 oz), like suggested, were putting us higher calories (800). Our NUT never responded to neither of us. So we never got an answer. 19 days post op...still losing tho.

I'm wondering what ideas everyone has for pre and post surgery liquid diet meals. I'm finding 'bone broth' is quite expensive for a mere 2 cups worth in each package. Yikes! Any ideas? What else do you use for your liquid diet - what has worked for you, and has a nice taste too? As for movement, I just love this guy, Adam. His youtube videos are free and the movement is gentle with guidance, 10 to 15 minutes. Check it out... *Didn't realize the picture would be so big. lol.

Was given the all clear to try regular coffee if desired. Yesterday was my birthday and I chickened out of getting a birthday skinny mocha. Today I did end up trying a small one and my god. This is probably hour 2 of dumping. Anxiety? Check Heart palpitations? Check Nausea? Check General uneasy feeling? Check 0/10 do not recommend!

Christmas drinks cooking yesterday. This time Brie bites. Easy to make & yummy. Quarter teaspoon grain mustard, piece of Brie, 1/2 teaspoon cranberry sauce in puff pastry, bake then sprinkle with some pieces of grilled prosciutto. Went to what is supposed to be this excellent restaurant last week. Been wanting to go for a while but thought they only had a degustation menu & recently discovered they did have a la carte. Chose John Dory fillet with beurre blanc sauce split with wasabi leaf oil & asparagus. Started off okay but am still looking for the asparagus - extremely finely diced & barely a teaspoon. Then the third slice of the fillet was super salty & couldn’t eat it. So disappointed. My friends enjoyed their meals so at least there was that. Oh & it cost $58 (about $39 US). Crazy prices here now. Last year it would have been 10-15 Aust $ less.

My surgery is on the 29th. I'm on day 4/10 of my liquid diet and I'm struggling not to cheat and have a slice of turkey, or the egg whites of a boiled egg.

It's been a few years so I can't remember how tired/sluggish I felt pre-surgery, but my bad hip joint caused me a lot of pain back then because of the extra weight. Constantly. It doesn't get like that very often any more. It's sometimes painful, but not very often - and the pain is much milder. I also used to only be able to manage one trip up and down the basement stairs a day. I'd either have my husband run down there - or I'd pile things up near the top of the stairs and take them all down at once. Now, I probably go up and down my basement stairs 5-10 times a day. Walking - I still can't walk long distances because of my arthritis, but I can walk for an hour at a pop without much effort. Before? Maybe two blocks before I got winded and had to rest. So...yes. That all has definitely improved since my weight loss!

*raises hand* me too! i had a breast lift with extended arm lift (i.e., adresses the "side boob" issue) back in 2019...also had a tummy tuck all in one surgery. it depends i think one how long your surgeon is comfortable with u being under as well as how fast he/she works. my doc had a policy max of 6 or 7 (can't remember) hours under general anesthesia i think. he said he was done with me in under 6. personally, despite the recovery being very "challenging" (to put it mildly, ha!) i'd still do it all in one shot vs 3 separate surgeries: the healing was unpleasant enough that i was glad i only had to do it once (vs. three!!) but im a baby and was NOT a good patient so...i know of others on here whose recovery was a walk in the park. anyway: arm lift, breast lift tummy tuck...so so happy with them. the breast lift was actually the surprise favourite for me. being able to go bra-commando and remain perky is AWESOME. good luck! ❤️

I understand fully what your saying. I was shocked too at how much less pain the surgery was compared to my gallbladder. I didn't really have too much anxiety, as I did excitement and finally had it done. when I came to in recovery I had to wait for a room to open, so I was there for a couple hours and my nurse was wonderful!! she was so kind and got me extra pillows and talked with me the whole time. All the staff was wonderful through the night and the next for going home I was home by I believe, 10:30 am. Why did they say you cant have soup or pudding more than once a day ? I can have soup just have to have it cream and strained before having it, I wonder why they stated that. I am sorry that they said that. I feel hungry all the time too, I am just trying to get fluids in and get at least one protein drink in a day at this point. I don't want to push it. I find It hard when my kids are making food not to just taste it to make sure it taste alright lol , but so far I have been good. I have slipped and took a very very small bite of some chicken wing dip and just made sure I chewed it really well. I sat okay. So I was glad. I really hope that you are able to get your medicine soon. I am on my own medicine and glad that I have it through this , I don't think that I would make without it.

I need to rant a little! I have always struggled with excess weight in my adult life. Over the years I tried Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig, my own thing, you name it. For the past 8 years I have been struggling to lose 50-60 lbs. It was extremely difficult for me to lose anything at all unless I severely limited calories - like 800, 900 per day - which I could only do with the help of prescription medicines. When I'd stop taking them the weight would come back despite that fact that I was rarely overeating, usually around 1500 calories per day. Over the years I gained and lost the same weight this way. I took Contrave, but it hyped me up so badly I couldn't stand it. I took Belviq, which worked well - I didn't care if I ate or not so it was easy to consume so few calories, but it was taken off the market. I used Qysmia, which also worked the same way. I lost 30 lbs, but I was paying out of pocket and couldn't afford it any more. One of my issues is that I lose weight VERY slowly, and it was frustrating to work so hard and lose a pound or 2 a month. After gaining all the weight back plus 10 more pounds in 2 years, I knew I could lose it again by getting back on Qysmia but I couldn't bear the thought of the "yoyo" again. I'm 67 and have diabetes and heart disease in my family, which I was afraid of developing if I didn't take and keep the weight off. I'm on blood pressure and cholesteroI meds already. I can't play with a yoyo any longer at this point in my life and so I began to consider sleeve gastrectomy. I researched and thought about it for a long time before finally having surgery 1/24/24. Yesterday it was 4 weeks since surgery. In the 1st 2 weeks I lost 10 lbs. While I hoped to lose more, this was a good result because before surgery it would have taken me about 6 months to lose 10 lbs. Victory!! Or so I thought. Since then, however, I haven't lost any weight. I've read about the 3 week stall, which I guess is what I am experiencing. I think I get it. And at the same time I am enormously frustrated and sometimes find myself thinking that I made this drastic and permanent change in my life only to have the same result - consuming very little calorically and the weight just not coming off. Except now I'm consuming even fewer calories (still on purees). And on top of that, I am hungry almost all day. After breakfast, I wait 15 minutes and start on water/fluids again. Fifteen minutes after that, I am hungry again. And yes, it's genuine hunger - with growling and an empty feeling. Eating 1/4 cup of food is not filling me up. I am getting usually around 70g of protein each day in what I'm eating and drinking, so it's not that. I had some wild expectations, I'll admit. My doctor gave me a goal weight that requires me to lose 50 lbs. (60 for a "stretch" goal). I (crazily) thought that it would take about 2 months to lose that much. I've since realized that with relatively little to lose it will go slower, but geez! For who knows what reason, I also thought I would hardly ever be hungry. Five days post op, natural hunger returned. I was mad! And surprised, but I relied on this forum and learned that hunger was still normal. I thought once I could actually eat something it would be more like "normal" hunger - like before surgery - when it was about time to eat. Instead I find that I am often just hungry all day (usually worse at night) and the amount I'm eating isn't enough. I eat the recommended 2 oz of food and I never feel full, but I stop because that is the recommended amount. The instructions I've been given have implied that this should be more than enough to fill me at this point and that I might not even be able to finish that much, but it hasn't been the case for me. In 30 minutes or so, it's like I didn't eat anything and I'm hungry again. Of course I realize that a lot of my problem is my unrealistic expectations. But sometimes I do feel frustrated that I did this drastic thing only to have nothing change - I still can't lost weight. Mostly, reason prevails and I know that sooner or later the weight has got to come off. Reason is reassuring for the mental issue I have here, but reason does nothing to help the hunger. Ok, rant over. Does anyone have experience like this? Very slow loss and constant hunger? Does the weight loss pick up? How long does the 3 week stall last? Does the hunger ever return to normal? Help!!

I think you need to go back to your team. You need advice on real foods. You should not need protein supplements this far out. I had 6 meals a day at 1 year out too. Breakfast - 100 grams Greek yogurt with fruit - 10 grams protein Snack - 25 grams nuts - 5 grams protein Lunch - 100 grams prawns and small salad salad - 16 grams protein Snack - 25 grams Biltong - 13 grams protein Evening meal - tuna - 50 grams with mayo and on a slice of super seeded bread - 17 grams protein snack - Glass of milk or protein pudding I hope this helps a little, I could get in 60 - 80 grams of protein a day eat similar foods to this

I had my VGS on 10/16- and was losing pretty regularly. I have noticed a stall just recently and I even went up a little. I was just released to regular food though so I know I’ve eaten more carbs lately. I’ve got to get back to my protein shakes but the taste of them makes my tummy upset. the worst part is trying to get my water in- it’s been next to impossible. I’m just not thirsty or tempted to drink. Sugar substitutes trigger dumping now so additives like crystal light are out. I’ve done lemon and orange zest and it works for a day or two and then it’s back to the drawing board. Coconut water (urg empty calories) and Gatorade are now my go to- so frustrated.

Congratulations everyone! I consider myself a veteran almost 6 months after my gastric bypass. Getting this surgery was the best decision of my life! Whatever you are going through, hating your liquid diet, pre op fear, post op pain, stool issues after surgery, fear of the surgery itself (I was so scared that I considered not doing it until the moment they rolled me in the operating room), please remember that is ALL worth it. My diabetes went away after 15 years of Metformin and Insulin, and for the first time in over 10 years ALL my annual health test came back perfect in the normal range. You will do great!

Try exercise snacking. Multiple short bursts of exercise throughout the day. Each burst adds to your total for the day. So say 3 x 10 min sessions = 30 mins of daily exercise. Much easier to slot in your busy day. This is what I do. Try to add things during your work day like going for a walk in the your lunch break, walk/jog up any stairs you have at work. Hand weights, resistance bands are handy things to use at home at night. Some stretches (yoga based) can help you relax after work too & are great for flexibility. I have a mat on my living room floor in front of the tv. Put on Great British Bake off & do a session of stretches & bands. I also like wall push ups. (I stand about 90cm - 3 feet - from the wall & do 60.)

Hey! Thank you for your comment! You are right in that it is a disease - I don't think many people actually understand and appreciate that. Like, if it were as easy as just having the willpower to lose 10 stone all by myself, I'd do it and I wouldn't need surgery! Rudeness seems far too commonplace! I also have PCOS! I was diagnosed at 21 (I am 27 now), and I always wondered why I wasn't losing weight with ease, despite exercising constantly and eating healthily! It is so refreshing to hear how you have changed your mentality and how you love yourself regardless, as you should. It is insane to me that I can barely look at myself in the mirror, but when I see someone who is 'bigger'/has the same body type as me, I think they are beautiful! Body dysmorphia is a real thing I guess haha! The hair loss is something that I am dreading! I am sure you know that with PCOS the hair loss is already a thing, so I am trying to take all the steps I can to avoid it as much as possible! I am also really happy to hear you have had such a positive response Thank you for sharing your story, I'll be honest it definitely made me giggle a bit haha. I think I will have to use that phrase myself...

Hi everyone! I'm 13 days post op today. I had my gallbladder taken out at the same time because I had gallstones. My surgeon also removed a cyst from my belly button so I expected this surgery to be a difficult recovery but it hasn't been. I stayed only 1 night in hospital, had no trouble with getting myself in and out of bed or using the bathroom, I could drink fluids, I was walking laps, and I had no trouble swallowing pills, so they released me before noon the day after surgery. At home my pain was 6/10 for 2 days then 4/10 for 3 days. The pain was mostly attributed to the spot where the liver retractor was, probably inflammation too. I didn't need to take prescription pain medicine, I only needed Tylenol for the first 5 days. I've been pain free since day 6, and I've been doing great with staying hydrated at home thankfully. I had my first post op checkup on Monday (2 days ago) and everything looks great. They cleared me to start stage 2 Soft foods which has been going well too. I can resume playing sports and start lifting weights in approximately 3-4 weeks. I can't explain why it how my recovery has been so quick and easy. Before surgery I suffered for years with chronic fatigue, GERD, and insulin resistance. Which seem to be resolved as of now. I stopped my metformin a week before surgery, and my blood glucose is now in the normal range! My next goal is to ditch my CPAP machine. I have so much energy and feel better than I have in years. This is why I wanted the surgery, to fix my health issues. Weight loss is just a bonus!

Finishing up my breakfast and then it's time to get ready to go back to work FINALLY!!! WooHoo!!! It's about time. I hate not working. So glad I was cleared yesterday to go back starting today. Oh, and I'm now down to 233 pounds. I'm 33 pounds away from my goal weight!!!! I started off at 421 pounds when this whole journey began. I've lost a total of 188 pounds from my highest weight. I've lost a total of 155 pounds since my surgery in May 2022 (I was 388 pounds on surgery day). Bariatric surgery, changing my relationship with food, changing my diet, working out and changing up my routines, all of it is why I'm here now. 33 more pounds to go, ya'll!!! I'm in a size 16/18 in clothes (down from 28/30), I'm in a size 6 1/2 ring (down from size 10), I'm in a size 10 shoe (down from a size 11), and I wear 18" necklaces (instead of the 22" and 24" necklaces I wore before). Yes, I've had complications. Yes, I've had several surgeries. But things were found that I never would have known about. Silent killers, they're called. Has it been annoying and painful and frustrating? ABSOLUTELY. Would I do it all again anyway? ABSOLUTELY. I've STILL gained so much more than I've lost. I have 1 more surgery (my hysterectomy) and then I'm completely done. And honestly, I'm still way way healthier than I ever was before. I only wish I would have just done the bypass to begin with and skipped the sleeve. But then again, like I said, the conditions I didn't know about wouldn't have been found without the complications from the sleeve that led to all my procedures. Everything happens for a reason. I firmly believe that. And I'm almost on the other side of all this, so I can speak into existence that nothing else will go wrong, things are looking up, and I'm getting my life back but as an even healthier and better version.

I imagine price might have something to do with the reason your doctor is starting with this one. I've never taken it, but I looked up the price and it's very affordable, like under $10 at some pharmacies. If this works for you, affording it long term will be a breeze. The newer GLP-1 drugs might sound so much better in terms of effectiveness, but at over $1k a month, I'd be praying for something else to work!

I am currently in my pre-op liquid phase. Surgery in 10 days. Im drinking Protien2o, SEEQ (its a clear liquid whey, pretty sweet), and Chocolate Fairlife. I do like some of the Premier Protein drinks as well, but my doctor requested I stay away from coffee, and those happen to be my favorite flavors. Jello has been great too when I feel like I need to chew something. Also, pickle juice has helped cut cravings and is a great electrolyte replacement. 😉 I'm currently looking for a good bone broth. With the cold weather coming I would really love something warm in my belly. I've tried Bare&Bones Chicken bone broth and hated it. Made me very hesitant to buy anything else.

Had my surgery on the 10/30/23 7 day post op started at 355 lbs current 325 lbs been getting a lot on brain sabotaging can’t stay out of my phone look up symptoms of what I think is pain been to the er once because I thought something was wrong they give me a ct scan everything was good no blood clots even then I’m still thinking I have blood clots I feel great I’m up beat heart rate normal blood pressure normal idk know why wondering if anyone else is having this issue

Had my surgery on the 10/30/23 7 day post op started at 355 lbs current 325 lbs been getting a lot on brain sabotaging can’t stay out of my phone look up symptoms of what I think is pain been to the er once because I thought something was wrong they give me a ct scan everything was good no blood clots even then I’m still thinking I have blood clots I feel great I’m up beat heart rate normal blood pressure normal idk know why wondering if anyone else is having this issue

I just had my pre-op labs, EKG, UGI, and CXR yesterday. I met with my dietician as well. I start my pre-op diet on 10/9. It actually feels good to not be journeying alone. Good luck to everyone.

@BlueParis I think the hardest part about this process is accepting that the weight loss happens over a full year, or sometimes even more! The stalls make it feel like it will never happen, even though it will. Just not as fast as we want. But you'll get where you want to be eventually if you keep doing the right things. I've been thinking about it and one of the things I think makes it hard for me right now is that part of my brain never really accepted or acknowledged the size I was when I reached my highest weight. I look at myself in the mirror now and even though I haven't been this weight in 25 years and the last time I was close to it was 7 years ago, in my head, this is what I looked like all along, so I don't see the difference. I'll admit, I saw a photo of myself from last summer and was shocked at my size. Did I really look like that? But I look at myself now and all I feel is the frustration I had in my mid-20s of "when will I lose this weight" because it feels like the last 50 lbs never even happened. I'm just back to a place where I recognize what I'm seeing in the mirror instead of pretending it's not there. @RonHall908 I'm also struggling with sleep. I started tracking with my Fitbit and I don't get what I thought I did. I go to bed around 10:30 and I don't have to be up until 7:00, so I always thought I was getting plenty, at least 7 hours and close to 8, but in reality, I wake up at 5:00 this time of year because of the sun coming up. In the past 3 weeks since I started tracking, I've averaged 6h7m and only hit 7h twice. For comparison, my tracker says I've had an average of 1h9m of REM and 1h13m deep sleep, with 45m awake and 3h44m light sleep. For the most part, I'm energetic. I get over an hour of walking in almost every day, with 38m in the moderate zone according to my tracker. I don't drink any caffeine. But I do have about 30 minutes between 2:30 and 3:00pm when I can barely keep my eyes open. After that, I tend to have a second wind and am wide awake by the time 9pm rolls around so going to bed earlier isn't a great option. I try to relax and read, but I still don't fall asleep until close to 11pm, and I can easily stay up until after midnight if I don't stop myself. Maybe this is just what my body wants?

First off, kudos to you for wanting to regain your strength and build muscle post-surgery. It's important to start slow and progressively work your way up. Since you're 7 months post-op, you've likely received guidance from your healthcare provider, but here's a general idea: Start with low weights or resistance bands to ease into it. Focus on full-body workouts to maintain balance. Try 3 sets of 10-15 reps for each exercise, gradually increasing weights and reps as you get stronger.

I only have about 80# I want to loose but I've been overweight for over 50 years and have yo-yo'd since 1971. I have enjoyed bicycling but that extra 80# is like riding with a bag of cement. I would also like to ditch my medications. Scheduled for 9/19.