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Hi all November 2021 people! I want to do a little update because this thread is the only 'diary' I ever actually made - it's fascinating to look back at some of the posts we all made as we went along. I hope you are all doing really well. There aren't many of us posting regularly here any more so I hope that's because you are all too busy enjoying your new life. I am but I just like it here too, LOL. So, my current weight is 139 lbs - it's gone up and down by 2 or 3 pounds within the range 137 - 140 for the last 3 or 4 months but so far no further than that, and I don't take any particular action when those couple of pounds go on. Calorie intake is still about 1300 on weekdays and probably more like 1800-2000 at weekends now (alcohol and limited snacks). I still track everything. I walk A LOT for exercise. I stopped running after a few attempts because even though I enjoyed it it was causing me pain afterwards that lasted for days and then I couldn't do my usual walks so ended up costing me exercise time! I really want to get into some weights but I have such a busy life (excuse alert!) that I am short of time after I fit in all my walks. I am thankful every day that I had this surgery. Honestly, even if I regained every pound tomorrow it would have been worth it just to have this time feeling normal and being able to do normal things. We have a family vacation starting next week that I would have dreaded before, and now I can't wait and am signing up for every single activity along with my children. I would love to hear from anyone in the original gang who still reads but doesn't post much.

Mashed potatoes will be for later. First 2 weeks is Clear liquids only - anything you can see through.

If you're talking about the 2 weeks after surgery, it's all liquid, no chunks of any kind. So broth, strained soup with protein powder, milk, protein drinks, water, and sugar-free popsicle.

I agree with the above comments. I am 14 1/2 months out from my sleeve and 4 weeks out from my revision to bypass. Rice, noodles, pasta, potatoes, breads were all HUGE no-no foods for me. There's no nutrients in them, a TON of carbs and calories, take of valuable real-estate in your stomach that needs to have protein and veggies in it first and foremost. They don't serve any real nutritional value, and there's LOTS of foods you can use to substitute for these that are healthy, bariatric surgery friendly, and DELICIOUS.

It sounds like a combination of gas pain (gasx doesn't help with that - use a heating pad and walk, walk, walk), incision pain, and pushing your body too much too soon. Walking is good, traveling to the store, walk around the whole thing, and traveling home is too much. You just had MAJOR surgery, you have to be gentle with your body and understand it's trying to heal. Between short walks, get plenty of rest and fluids. Tylenol will help if you take it enough (2-3 tylenol 4x per day works well).

Can anyone explain like what they ate the first two week. My doctor has given me a list, but feel like I am going to mess up or fail!!

Pre-op diets vary widely from one surgeon to the next. Some take a one-size-fits-all approach and require a 2-week liquid diet for everyone just to be safe. Some don’t require any specific diet until the day before surgery. Some dictate pre-op diet based on individual patients. I strongly suggest you follow your surgeon’s directions. Do you trust him to cut you open and rearrange your digestive system? If so, then trust him to give you appropriate pre-op instructions. If you don’t trust his medical judgment, you probably shouldn’t let him do surgery on you.

I think it all depends on your starting weight. It could be because your BMI is low, comparatively speaking. Patients who only have 50-70 lbs to lose usually aren't made to do a 2-week full liquid diet. For some of us, though, our doctors want us to lose weight (not just detox or shrink the liver) before surgery. This is because we have 100+ lbs to lose, and have a fatty liver. My doc wanted me to lose 50 lbs even before the surgery. I told him, "Doc, if I could lose 50 lbs right now, on my own, I wouldn't need you." We haggled and compromised and decided on 30 lbs. I lost exactly 30 lbs before surgery. Obviously, sugar free popsicles and sugar free jello (the juice should be sugar free as well) aren't nutritious. They are liquids. Anything that is liquid at room temperature is considered a liquid (popsicles and jello). But they should all be sugar free. And it's not something we do for a long time, only right before surgery. A full liquid diet includes protein shakes. A clear liquid diet does not. I did semi liquid (2 protein shakes and one no-carb solid meal for dinner) for 30 days. Then I did 8 days full liquids only, and the 2 days before the surgery clear liquids only. It should have been 12 days full and 2 days clear, but they moved my surgery date up because there was a cancellation. Consequently, my 2-week liquid diet became a 10-day liquid diet.

Last week I did an inventory of smaller sized clothing I kept over the years "just in case" someday I could fit into again. I found a few items still with tags that I optimistically bought hoping to wear but never could. I'm looking forward to finally being able to wear them sometime soon. Especially some of my old favorite jeans. And yeah some of my big clothes are hard to let go of. I lost a good amount of weight in the past and got rid of thinking I was done with them then regained and regretted. But that was during my yo yo dieting phase. Surgery changed that for me. I don't plan on needing them ever again. Good luck on surgery day!!!!

Two weeks until surgery!!!! I scheduled an appointment with my surgeon to go over ALL of my last minute questions. One of the concerns I had was of my post op diet. My surgeon seems more "liberal" when it comes to the pre op and I am allowed to eat fruit, eggs, bacon, cottage cheese, protein, vegetables, nuts, cheese etc until two days before surgery. From most of what I've read online it seems like most people go on a liquid diet during this time. I wondered if maybe he thinks patients maybe won't stick to it and that's why he didn't assign it so I made up my own semi liquid diet with the information I gathered which was basically 100% fruit juice Popsicle, sugar free pudding, gelatin, soup, protein shake and ground beef salad everyday. I wrote down what I was doing and handed it to him and he proceeded to ask me where I got this diet from and straight told me that this diet was crap, snacks had no nutritional value which would make me weaker before surgery, Popsicle had a bunch of sugar and that my liver would shrink by cutting Carb and starches alone and that i need to eat and stay off the internet 🤣🤣 Did anyone else's surgeon put them on a diet like this pre op? Don't get me wrong I am of course happy to eat food, but I've never heard of anyone else having such a liberal diet pre op and it makes me wonder...

I was told a year, but I sipped a beer at about 6 weeks, hated the taste and still do 8 months post op. Had my first official drink 8 weeks post op, a margarita with lots of ice to dilute the drink. It will hit you fast, 2 sips in and I started to feel a tingling sensation in my nape, that's how I still know I'm getting tipsy. I did notice that even though it hits faster, it also metabolizes faster. I tasted wine about 4 months post op, prefer not to do it, cheap wine its not the way to go, my palate separates the alcohol and it taste like a sip of juice, followed by a sip of alcohol. Since then, I had done a skinny mojito twice. I do try to limit the amount of alcohol I'm consuming because of the empty calories, and because I do not want to go back to bad habits, socially I think is fine.

I have to agree with the above comments. I have only started eating rice and noodles after the first year. My program allowed me to have carbs once a week. Even then it was not easy on my stomach specially the rice. I live in Malaysia where rice and noodle are staple food. If I don't bring my lunch from home and have to eat outside, it is mostly going to be one of these. I take a small portion of rice and load on vegetables and proteins if served separately. Noodles are usually mixed with the vegetable / protein so I can't do anything about it.

Congrats on getting your surgery! I know what you mean about the liquids! The best for me was the sabra hummus and the mashed potatoes. It’s kind of a pain trying to keep up with the vitamins, trying to eat 2-3 times a day (they told me to eat 5 small meals a deal, how am I going to get my fluids in if I eat 5 times a day and can’t drink for 30 minutes before and after, that’s 5 hours a day I can’t drink! 😂) I’m glad that my information is helpful to someone!

I was cleared to drink alcohol at 3 months post-op which was right on July 4th. I made a mix of sugar free Cranberry juice and a shot of vodka. Tasted good, didn't make me drunk, sick or passed out. But made sure I ate something beforehand and drank very slowly. Have fun!!

So... today, my daughter and I made that TikTok chicken crust pizza at home. It was really good! I'm 1 month and 4 days out of my revision from sleeve to bypass, and I'm on regular food now. It is high in calories, but I'm sure if you choose healthier options for the ingredients, you could make it even better! I used what I already had at home because I wasn't even sure it was going to work. But there are some modifications I plan to make for when I make this again. For example, I would use reduced fat or fat-free cheeses. Those seem to be the ingredients with the highest calories. Also, I would use fresh chicken, cook it and shred it. But for this recipe, I used canned chicken breast. I'm including a pic of the pizza and a pic of the nutrition information per slice. I doubled the recipe because I was going to share it with my daughter, then I combined all the nutrition information for the whole pizza and divided by 8 slices. Take into account that a regular slice of pepperoni pizza is 313 calories, 13g protein, and 35 carbs. This one is 197 calories, 22g protein (because the crust is made of chicken, Parmesan, and egg), and 3g carbs. for the ~10" crust: -2 cans 10oz canned chicken breast in water (drained) -2 large eggs -1 cup shredded Parmesan (gonna look for a lower fat or lower cal version) Combine these 3 things and season as you like. I used Italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, and some sprinkles of black pepper. NO SALT, because the canned chicken is already salty. Like my life. I mixed it all together to create the "dough." I put it on parchment paper on a cookie sheet and formed it into a thin crust (~10") and baked it at 425 for 20 minutes. my toppings: -1/3 cup Chef Boyardee Pizza sauce (again, I'm sure there's a healthier alternative) -2 cups shredded mozzarella (next time I'm using low fat or fat-free) -16 turkey pepperoni slices Once I added the toppings, I put it back in the oven for 10 minutes at 425. I did 5 min on bake and then 5 min on broil (low) because I wanted the cheese to get just a tad toasty Added all the ingredients to the Baritastic app (you can scan the barcodes of all the ingredients) and divided by 8 slices, so this is the nutrition info per slice. Yes, the slices are small like from a personal pizza, but I can't eat more than that anyway, so it was very filling! I ate half a slice then later had the other half a slice. I remembered the crust is made of chicken, so I ate slowly and gave it time to hit my tummy.That's why I was only able to do half at a time.

Timewise I was under for 4 hours instead of 2. Doc told me before surgery that the Endoscope didn't tell him how big the hernia was and wouldn't know till he was in there. As far as complications there were none. Week one was a bit of a blur since I was prescribed Hydrocodone for pain. But I think a week is pretty common for most WLS patients to get past the worst of it. Surgery was a big game changer for me. No more reflux and I can breathe again. Good luck going forward @GrannyMaggie !!

I am 6 months out from RNY. And I just got rid of my old clothes last week. At first, I was reluctant. And I guess that's what took me so long. But I now see I see it as clearing out old energy and bringing in the new. I thought I would miss them once I bagged them up. My daughter who was helping me kept asking if I would be ok. She said I took a huge plunge. But I am really doing ok. I enjoy buying new and cute smaller clothes now. New me, new energy. Best of luck on your surgery tomorrow!

So excited for the 3 of you!!! Have you all had to wait a long time?

Six months almost to the day. My family doctor submitted me into the bariatric referral program here in Toronto the last week of February. I attended the virtual orientation session on March 7 and my surgery date is August 28. In between those dates, I've attended (either virtually or in person) meetings and consults with a nurse, psychiatrist, a social worker, the nutritionist, an internist, did a sleep study, met the surgeon, and had an endoscopy. It's actually moved quite quickly.

Hi All - My name is Kay. I am scheduled for my gastric sleeve surgery on 8/2. If I am not mistaken, I started the process in the first week of June. I never considered WLS because I never considered myself obese. I guess I was fooling myself. No one in my family is overweight; however, most have diabetes and HBP. I have HBP and am pre-diabetic. I went to see the gastro doctor out of curiosity. The appointment was an hour long. I met with a dietician, an insurance navigator, and a nurse practitioner. This was the first time I heard my weight out loud. I usually turn away from the numbers on the scale and instruct the person taking my weight not to tell me. I just usually guessed my weight. I was off about 40 pounds. BMI of 40. The insurance navigator told me that I would get approved and that my insurance did not have any pre-surgery requirements. I met with the nurse practitioner, she gave me a list of to-do items, and I was off to the races. I am excited. I look forward to having more energy, being more active, getting rid of my HBP medication, and eating to live instead of living to eat. I was a bit apprehensive about joining a WL forum because I did not want to see negative reviews and complications. I am glad I came to this site. It is full of information and people like me. Congrats to those who have had their surgery, and good luck to those who are scheduled.

Oh wow this is one of those things on which different programmes are so very different! I was cleared to have a glass or two of wine 7 weeks post op (xmas though so that might have accelerated my request). And I have had *some* alcohol on one or two days pretty much every week since then. Honestly I don't think it has held me back at all. I know this might be very different for others though. Can't see that one or two drinks on a holiday will impede your progress. Hope you have a lovely holiday OP!

tofu and paneer would be soft - but not pureed re: rice and noodles - I didn't eat those at all for at least the first year. I'm not sure if they'd be considered "soft", but they're not very nutritious and take up real estate in your stomach when you should be filling it with mostly protein since your protein needs are very high the first few weeks. Also, even at eight years out, even though I do occasonally eat rice and noodles, i can't eat much of either since they sit in my stomach like a brick. So you'll eventually be ALLOWED to eat those things (all my food restrictions were lifted once I was about six months out), but they do bother some people.

I haven't posted an update in awhile, but there hasn't really been much to report. I tried sliced deli roast beef last week and it was too soon, my stomach really hurt for about 45 minutes, then stopped. I guess I'm just not ready to digest beef at the moment. I had pretty good success with turkey though. This week, I tried a chicken quesadilla and managed to take 2-3 bites and was okay. I had a bit of a stall "weight loss" wise from the 13th through the 20th, but got on the scale this morning and was at 325lbs, so I managed to lose 5 more pounds since the 12th, bringing my weight loss since surgery to 27lbs, 60lbs since I started this journey. I'm probably going to avoid the other forums and topics as this page as they seem to be pretty cliquish. I'm going to continue posting in this journal because I enjoy it and think it's fun to keep a history about what I'm going through. My next doctors appointment is in four days, so I'll probably post another update then.

I’m 6 months post revision on a 10 year old sleeve. I’m having terrible stomach problems. Dumping, cramping, nausea. I’m talking with my doctor and nutritionist about. They think it’s either diet or I’ve developed a post surgical IBS. They just put me on a two week course of Rifaximin. I don’t know what is safe to eat any more. Everything seems to make me sick. I’ve lost 75 lbs post op 30% of my body weight in 6 months and MOST IMPORTANTLY the reflux which prompted the revision is gone. I’m sure some of it is my own doing. One piece of candy or something with sugar (even ketchup) and I’m on the toilet. I have discovered that I need 45 min (not 30 as recommended) between eating and drinking. Anything but pure protein seems to be a problem. Salmon or chicken are ok but if I have fruit, rice, grains of any kind, and even some veggies like broccoli or zucchini I’m on the toilet in an hour. I’m learning my portions, which are so sensitive, one bite or two too many and I’m feeling green and laying down. I guess I’m looking for advice on how to systematically find my safe foods and portions? Has anyone else developed an IBS like condition post op such that you needed medication? I can’t tell if this is that or diet or both and I’m not happy either way.

I had my surgery 7/10 and am traveling for work. Thankfully I was able to acquire some protein shakes and triple zero yogurt but man was it a pain to track down. Does anyone have any travel tips and tricks to make sure you’re getting enough protein, hydration, and able to take all the post ops meds and vitamins?