Search the Community

was thinking the same thing....? (just one 1 G&T is like 120 cals, and just one beer is at least 200 cals...). alcohol in and of itself will not stop you from losing weight, but too many calories (in the form of alcohol or whatever else) definitely will. further, are you tracking your actual food/beverage intake to conclude 1200 cals a day, or eyeballing it? lastly, my NUT wanted me at 1500 cals by 3 months, so i guess it depends on who you ask if that is alot of cals or not at your stage. BUT, despite this recommendation , i personally was NO WHERE near 1500 cals at that stage, more like 400 cals honestly (which is on the lower end of average, but still).

Thanks everyone. I think me panic was more stress induced than anything else. So I've just gone through my house again, and threw out everything that I shouldn't eat again. I definitely think I have a food addiction so I think I will check out overeaters anonymous. Honestly, I never something like that existed! My weight is back on a downward trend (.5kg or 1lb) since Monday so I'm starting to see the light at the end again. I'm flying on Sunday so I've been feeling stressed about that which doesn't help. Thank you for all your support. Sometimes I just need someone to press the "bullshit" button and snap me out of the funk. Back to onwards and downwards.

I am actually doing pretty good now. I am able to take bigger sips, getting a lot more of my protein down, and how is chicken broth so delicious. I have been getting down most all of my pills and vitamins. Tomorrow I start mushy food and creamy soups (no chunks). I'm excited.

Almost 5.5yrs post sleeve and also have maintained below goal. I try to eat regularly & to a schedule. Helps me avoid unnecessary snacking and making poor choices because I’m overly hungry. I try to meet protein & fluid goals every day. I don’t track but check ingredients & nutritional content of new foods & recipes where I can and do random checks to ensure I’m not overestimating portions or calories, etc. I try to ensure I eat meat (yep I’m a carnivore), vegetables, fruit, dairy, and complex multi/whole grain carbs everyday. Add beans or lentils to various meals at times. I adopted a way of eating (not a diet) that is working for me & is sustainable. It doesn't stop me socialising or make it a challenge to make food choices. I do some sort of exercise almost every day (about 20 minutes a day total & not traditional ‘exercise’ but stretches & resistance bands). I weigh myself at least a couple of times a week. I can’t control every aspect of my life every day so I don’t beat myself up if I go off piste or decide to treat myself or can’t follow my regular schedule or can’t meet my goals or whatever. As long as it’s not the norm and a regular occurrence, I’ll be okay. And if something changes (ill health, the crap life throws at us, etc.), I’ll look at my options, make changes where I can or just work with my new reality.

I’m so flattered lol!! I am definitely not a professional chef but a very avid cook and baker, I love love love making (and eating) food lol!!

I have portion control in my diet. I eat small portions of foods not large portions. I have a high metabolism.

No thanks would be ideal hut if your family and friends are like mine and just won’t let up sometimes a little white lie Iis in order. What i did with my sleeve at Thanksgiving and Christmas was just to take the food, eat my tiny portion say it was delicious and tell them I will be hungry in another hour and I plan to finish it at home. (I tossed whatever my hubby wouldn’t eat but it spared them feeling as if I didn’t enjoy it). There was WAY too much food so it would’ve ended up getting tossed anyways. Even after leftover week. If you haven’t told anyone about your surgery you can just say that it’s delicious but your stomach just feels a bit off and again take a plate with you to eat later and give it to someone who can have it. If it will tempt you though, just say no thanks and be persistent. I was actually thinking about a holiday dilemna too. I am always invited to an annual cookie day. Everyone brings their supplies for a recipe and makes like 2 dozen cookies and the host makes tons of sugar cookies the night before for the kids to decorate while the cookies are baking. It’s a while day of eating junk, drinking and smelling cookies. I don’t think I can do it this year, I’m too early out. I think I’m just gonna be honest since they do know about my surgery. Tell her I will pop by and say hello but I am not gonna stay.

As someone who started traveling less than 3 weeks post surgery, my biggest advice is to make sure you load up on what you need before the day starts (proteins that you can "safely" eat) - Just keeping enough snacks/food that you know you can tolerate easily during the flight rather than relying on whatever they provide you. For me, an aisle seat was key on long hauls also just so that I could get up and walk if needed. Extra water for the flight was also very helpful. Mostly, enjoy the extra room! That was seriously a game changer for me. Before surgery, I'd panic if I had to fly coach wondering if I'd get a seatbelt that fit or have someone beside me that was just disgusted at my presence.

I will add protein powder to my Greek yogurt some times or will make a protein smoothie myself to drink as a snack, but I got burned out on the premade protein drinks during my liquid phase and pretty much have not been able to stomach one since. I do love protein water though and that helps. I think I’m averaging 60-80 grams a day, but I feel like the goal they gave me is unattainable right now. I should be moving to soft food soon and then I think it will help with I can include tuna and chicken.

Lot's of good advice in your post! I wanted to comment on the above issue regarding proteins that seem like they just don't want to digest properly. I was advised by my surgical team to try papain (also known as papaya proteinase I). It was like a miracle in quickly easing that really horrible feeling and getting the food to digest. It might not be for everyone (I hear some people can react to it), but it worked so well for me I tend to carry some with me when I'm traveling or know I'll be eating out.

Wow! That seems like a lot of food at once! I’m only able to eat 3-3.5 oz of food at once or I’m so full I’ll puke it up! So I have to eat 5 small meals a day. How much does your surgeon want you to eat? I’d stick to that if I were you.

I know I post the same thing all the time but I was never given ANY goals - protein, fluids, nothing! It was totally reach your stages by texture. Eat as much as you can of: clear liquids; thick/full liquids; puree; soft foods; proper endgame food. That was it! I've done fine but that was with the help of everyone here. Think my surgeon's 'hands off' approach is probably fine for some people but not others.

Tastes certainly change post surgery. Prior to my sleeve I was a salty snack girl. Had the sleeve and I started craving sweets all of a sudden. Possibly part of why it didn’t work for me. Woke up from my revision craving healthy Food-food though. Even for snacks I want nourishment not junk. I wanted fish tacos so bad during my entire liquid phase and I like things like spinach now. It’s weird. You may not like stuff you loved before but you may also like some things you didn’t before so be open to trying things. Hopefully you will find some healthy things you love to replace them things you don’t like now. Ooh and if you like peanut butter and have some vanilla shakes left over try mixing PB2 into your shake. It takes a lot of mixing and you won’t want to do it until your cleared for like purées because it makes it a little thicker but it’s really good and it increases the protein. Ooh another thing you can do with the shakes to cut the sweetness is to mix them with coffee. I actually buy the caramel ones that are really sweet intentionally to make my iced coffee. It’s delicious.

Tilapia w/ mashed potatoes and vegetables. This is the maximum I can eat, and I ate it all. I think I’m slightly underestimating the potatoes but my food scale broke and I haven’t replaced it yet? Anyone still using a food scale?

Sounds like your boss may be taking you to lunch more often. I don’t really know off hand how to do the conversions either but a third of a pizza sounds about right. Like a frozen pizza not a pizzeria pizza. Although I wonder if our pizza in the US is larger. Seems that just about everything else is food wise 😆.

I get why you're feeling frustrated—it's tough when you're ready to move to the next stage and don't have the plan you were expecting. It's great that you've already started with things like hard-boiled eggs, lentil soup, and canned tuna/chicken. Those are solid choices! While you're waiting for your next appointment, you could try some soft foods like mashed avocado, Greek yogurt, or even well-cooked veggies. Just take it slow and pay attention to how your body reacts. You’re doing awesome, and your dietitian will have you back on track soon enough!

Less pre-op diet because in theory less food has been consumed due to having had a prior surgery reducing amount consumed AND less nutrients have been absorbed, doctors don't want their patients going through a major surgery in a weakened condition.

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!

Hi everyone, how are y'all getting with your post op diets, exercise and wellbeing? Here's my experience so far after getting the Gastric Sleeve procedure on 13th June 2024... Immediately after surgery It was pretty rough for me, I woke up in a lot of pain, so much so that the nurses had to give me 30mg morphine for the pain. I was in a recovery room for the first 24 hours (standard procedure for the private hospital in the UK i went through) After the initial 24hrs I was moved back to my room where I felt a lot better. Even able to eat an ice pop and a small cup of tomato soup (sipping of course) and sipping water every 5-10 mins. Week 1-2 I quickly moved onto the liquids phase, in which I must have taken in around 2-300 cals per day through protein shakes and watery soups. I must admin this phase was the hardest for me, managing the pain meds as well as trying to drink as much liquids as I could in a day. It just so happened there was an international football (soccer) tournament on in Europe in my first 2 weeks' recovery so was engrossed in that! I also started walking 1 mile per day and upping that to almost 2 miles by the end of it. My weight loss was drastic in this phase but my word I was lethargic/got tired v easily and not up for doing much. Week 3-4 Puree stage - finally I felt I was able to get some proper food in me, and a few days after starting this phase, my weight slowed right down - the dreaded (but expected) 3 week plateau kicked in. I went around a week and a bit without any weight loss, despite me sticking to the recommended diet. I am not going to sugar coat this, it was a bit disappointing standing on those scales after a week, but I knew this would happen so meh I guess. Still walking 2 miles per day during this phase and now feeling I have a lot more energy. Week 5-6 Week 5 started with me starting to lose a pound every 2 days or so, so my body seems like it has adjusted to the inro of more foods for the 'soft foods' stage. I also started back at the gym doing some cardio work on top of my walks, and oh boy I have so much more energy for it! I am now around half way through week 6 and had my first appointment with my nutritionist and he is blown away by the progress I have made/am making. He gave me further chewing tips to make sure I am not overeating as I have been sick a couple of times when I've eaten too quickly and not realised I'm full/satisfied. He is now happy for me to start introducing more fibred meats and more complex foods, like a little pasta and a little bit of rice, to test the waters. Struggles so far: Reminding myself I have a new stomach not eating what family members are eating e.g. Sunday Dinner Eating too fast resulting in vomiting Extra attention from people who have noticed a loss in weight (47lbs and counting since pre-op liver diet). Since I've been overweight most of my adult life, I carried a lot of shame internally, so its in my nature not to talk about myself/get photos taken etc Wins so far Losing a lot of weight and all the benefits that go with it. Being more present with my family. Having the energy to do everything they want to do (I have a wife and 2 kids, girl 11, boy 7) Clothes! I have dropped from XXXL to XL already. Which was a surprise when I packed to go to a 5 day getaway with my fam in week 5 Mental health - the mental benefits come as such a relief. I no longer feel down about my weight (although I know I still have a ways to go) Confidence - generally just feel I can be more myself - hopefully some here will resonate with this. be great to hear of your journey so far, so let's have it folks, we're all in this together

What you described; occasionally light headed when standing up...racing heart, all with different foods and quantities was what I was and still am going through - exactly as you described. As I posted before my cardiologist said its dumping, the Bariatric surgeon said dumping combined with low blood pressure and/or dehydrated for the dizzy aspect symptoms. I do notice and am more aware of the coalition of less water consumption = dizzy upon standing or just in general now. He did say to try to slow down eating as it might help. The issue I have is I don't have 30 mins to casually sit and eat my food all the time - to eat "aware" or "mind fully." Sometimes I'm lucky to just get my protein down! I will say that once I had both doctors associate it to dumping I paid more attention to it and when it is happening, after I eat I can associate it directly to eating now. So I'm going to say they were right - its dumping. Good luck with the cardiologist.

Hey everyone, just wondering how it's going. I'm 6 weeks since surgery and my weight has stalled. I'm down a total of 34 lbs, but almost 1/2 of that was pre-surgery. I was losing quite nicely for the first 5 weeks, but this week is just staying steady and even going up a bit 😥. Is this normal? This week is back to "regular foods" although I'm mostly still on soft foods because I'm not tolerating any thing else yet.

I am 88 years old and am thinking of getting my band removed. My band was installed on 8/2008. In the beginning no problems but now I wind up in ER for removal of stuck food. I think the band has shifted over the years as I just completed an upper GI series, and my esophagus looked okay. Now wondering about the risk at my age. I will discuss with my cardiologist. So sorry to hear so many have had problems with the band. that is why they no longer recommend it. If you can have it removed to avoid trips to the ER All the best to you all. Herb

I had the SADI and ADEK are all fat soluble vitamins that people with the SADI and DS tend to malabsorb more than other surgeries. You need to eat these vitamins with fat for them to be absorbed best to get them from food. I am actually surprised you are just getting your vitamin panel at 7 months out. I would definitely not wait to get this issue addressed if it’s very low because there are a lot of scary things a deficiency can cause including blindness. Not to be an alarmist but I would call your team right away about this issue and see what you need to do. I’m not sure if they have infusions available but that would certainly be something I would ask about.

Does anyone use brown rice protein powder, specifically the unflavoured & unsweetened variety? I bought a small sample from my local bulk health food store, along with a larger amount of pea protein powder. I knew what to expect from the pea protein powder as I've had it before in years past, but I was unprepared for the smell, taste, aftertaste and immense chalky-ness of the brown rice powder. I've tried it in a few different things now (oatmeal, shakes and smoothies), and most of them had to be pitched entirely; I was able to choke down the smoothie I made with it but it was still unpleasant. Online blogs suggested almond milk and unsweetened cocoa powder to combat the chalky texture -- both did nothing for me. I tried PB powder, regular fairlife milk, thickening the smoothies with bananas or avocado, greek yogurt, etc. I still have a little under 500ml left, and I'm tempted to just give up and throw it away. It's one of those vicious thought cycles: I hate to waste food by throwing it away, but I hate to waste other foods by trying to combine them and getting the same result lol. If anyone has a method to using this while masking basically everything about it, I'm all ears. Can you bake with it? I've had mixed results baking with other protein powders in the past and am honestly mildly exhausted just thinking about it. XD (I apologize with harassing you all with my constant protein supplement queries. Egg protein was a miss for me, but pea protein is a morning-time lifesaver for me.)

Things are good- really want to go to the park and walk/jog but am just focusing on getting this cough under control. I was super excited that Farmer Boys (restaurant in California) had BOGO on salads. So I had them split it in 2 containers...so technically I scored 4 containers of salad with grilled chicken, avocado, 1/2 egg each, tomato, iceberg lettuce) So I will be enjoying them for the next 3 days- part of my good choice food for the day- and then my preOP protein shakes the other meals...pretty confident and I am one of those weird ones that likes salad and I also like water!