Search the Community

Hi all, sorry I'm new to this, looking for advice. I am just under 2 weeks post surgery and feeling fine. I don't feel hungry so living on protein shakes. I am a little worried though as I can gulp water (also a glass at once!). Is there anyone else that could do that? just worried my sleeve isn't small enough or not working? Am I over worrying?? Thank you

Do you change up your workouts? I’d read somewhere years ago that you need to change them every 6 weeks or so as your body gets used to what you’re doing. Can you change your reps/sets? The amount of weights you’re using? Try something completely different? I had to keep doing this and it did work for me so maybe it’s something that could work for you too? I remember I stopped working out for a couple of weeks and dropped 7lbs 🤷‍♀️ Our bodies are weird!

Week out and too scared to cheat tbh - a teaspoon of cottage cheese is all I have had beyond seeq protein water and fairlife

I find the calculator on the Mexico site to be rather inaccurate for me, but everyone varies. Age and surgery type, as well as co-morbidities all impact weight loss rate. It thinks I should be at 212lbs at 6 months but I'm at 240 with 6 days to go. Not gonna happen. It also thinks I should be at 170 by 12 months, but that's not very likely either. I've always used the following one as it takes into account the different surgeries and looks just like the one my surgeon uses. They calculate from the highest weight, it is important to include that because if you have a lot of weight loss before surgery your percentages may track differently and your post op weight loss may be slower. I've seen this happen to several people with surgeons calculating it improperly, or applying the bypass trajectory to a DS patient, which is a disaster and very stressful for the patient! This one takes into account much more like your age, ethnicity, and pre-existing conditions: https://riskcalculator.facs.org/bariatric/?_ga=2.112690692.1282950073.1698781773-393992475.1698781773 According to this one I should be at 78 lbs down for my DS surgery at 6 months. I'm at 80 lbs down. My weight loss has tracked along with this thing pretty steadily, give or take 15 lbs, since surgery, except for my 6 week stall. It puts me at 202 by 12 months out, but DS patients lose for 18-24 months post op, so I should be at 170 sometime in that 12-24 month period! In the end these are all just estimation tools. Our bodies do what they will and we make the most of it. Still, it is nice to have a loose guideline to follow.

Hey and welcome to the June buddies thread I am just over 2 weeks since sleeve surgery and yes, the first 2 weeks were difficult. That chewing sensation is what I was craving and actually got some great advice earlier in this thread. I started to chew on sugar free ice lollies and made sure I had ice with my liquids, so I could crunch them. Other than that, not a lot you can do until you're on the next stage. All the best for your journey

Well done on the loss so far, 29lbs is great. Everyone's body will react in different ways and your body is just trying to recover from the surgery and process the changes it is coping with. The loss can be big one week, then nothing for a few weeks, they can be slow and steady throughout, it is different for everyone but you will get there in the end. If the tomato soup was an issue maybe try less creamy soups, like a broth, if you want a change from the shakes and make sure you are getting enough liquids in as well. You will get through this, I think just about everyone who has gone through the surgery has had a low day or more, and it is just about being kind to yourself, not stressing and just realise that you have already had a substantial loss in just two weeks. You have got this 💪

All I can say is that I am honestly baffled by your response. I know that sometimes tone is not there in written communication and perhaps that’s where the problem lies but I did not intend in anyway to give you ridicule or be impolite. I was genuinely trying to be helpful by sharing my experience with you in case you didn’t realize that the medication really does work. I presented it as another option that would hopefully result in your not having to deal with the pain or bloat at all. This community has been very helpful and supportive for me over the past three years and I try my very best to do the same for others. I wish you the best of luck in your journey and hope that you give others the benefit of the doubt that they are indeed trying to be helpful In the future because I have found nothing but kindness and support here and believe you will as well.

I’m with you on not wanting to spend much on clothes right now. I’m going over to raid my daughter’s closet because I had just given her a bunch of my jeans a few months back. I am down to a US waist size 29 in jeans right now and I had held on to a few of my favorites but given her most of them. I can’t sew at all so I have resorted to posting my bigger clothes online to try and get bit of money out of them that I can turn around and put into some new clothes. I do still have quite a few smaller clothes I never let go of though. I get my post op blood work done next week and I’m pretty sure it will show I’m anemic also. I’m covered in huge bruises. I started to have a small amount of hair loss the past week so I’m bummed out and I have started watching what I eat much better. I was slacking so now I chart everything and get my exercise in everyday. I’m getting my 100gms of protein, 64 oz of water, cut out any soda and sweet tea again and went back to zero sugar. I was on my second stall but I have started slowly moving again. I’m currently at 170lbs so 37lbs total lost so far and 25lbs to go. I don’t have much support. My best friend and my mother were totally against this surgery when I said I was going to do it. My mother passed away before I made it through all the hoops. It took me a year to meet all their requirements. My best friend still can not show any support but I am already 100% happier with myself and I feel so much better already even with the challenges I know we have all faced. This group has been a lifesaver even though I don’t always post I do follow. Thank you everyone for sharing your stories and all the support. ❤️

@LisaCaryl Sorry, I didn't want to worry you! I'm close to giving up on trying to make healthy food choices is what I really meant. I'm feeling slightly better this evening although I'm freezing again because of the cold and rain in the UK. I think I'm just so so done in by all the traveling for work - I've still had less than 30 days at home since my surgery at the end of Feb and I know I'll be travelling pretty much non stop till mid July - and I'm so over the cold and the random hotel rooms and the living out of a suitcase. My partner is also travelling a lot so we barely see each other which normally we're fine with but the last 7-8 months have been especially bad travel wize. I think I just need a few good nights sleep in my own bed... I get home on wednesday evening and have a week a home before fmying off. Thankyou. Clothes feeling looser is a hard one because I travel light so basically just swap out one work dress for another from my suitcase when I'm home without trying anything on. I do have a dietician from the clinic I was operated at but the contact is just through whatsapp. I spoke to my partner earlier about how down I am (partner is not a GP or a psychiatrist but is a doctor.) and he thinks that it's just really because all this travelling and rain and cold is shitty and to keep upbeat and work i have to find something to get the negative emotions out on so I'm going with the lack of weightloss. The rational person inside me knows that this stall will pass but the emotional person is just so over the struggle allready!

Couldn’t stomach premier protein post gastric sleeve - 2 weeks out and my saviour is the seeq protein water, whey with fair life and Panera broccoli soup

So I am better prepared now! I completed the list of suggested items, I got my protein shakes for my preop weeks, got my water flavoring, and I got myself a two week starters kit from celebrate vitamins. It is a protein powder with the vitamins already included so at least that first week I won’t have to worry about everything. Then for the following week I got a vitamin starter kit that has what I will need. I figure by week three I will be better about getting things I need. I am feeling a bit better going into this whole thing now.

Had mine on 5 June and transitioned to soft stage on 27 - I was hungry first week post op but the restriction kicks in asap you transition and you are full after two teaspoons

100% with you! I've discovered I'm just as happy with a handful of lentil or quinoa chips than anything I thought I'd miss -- probably more happy, just because there's no guilt eating them. I'm early on in my Post-OP (12 weeks this coming Wednesday) but I feel like every week I find a new recipe or premade item that just amazes me. Like, "I can eat this tasty thing? Really?"

Whatever your pre op diet, try to eat relatively healthy a week before that. Don’t go from doing food funerals one day to the liver shrink diet the next because the cravings will be that much worse. For me, carbs make me crave more carbs so i cut them completely the week before while I could still eat any portion of other stuff I wanted so that the pre op diet was a little easier and it wasn’t bad.

I do 2 capfuls of Miralax every morning. It keeps me regular enough (I go on average of one good poo every other day). I try to incorporate fiber in my food, but honestly, I'm not super great at it. So I started adding Benefiber this last week and it's helped me do an extra 2 poos a week, which is fantastic. I do have some stool softener/laxative combo tablets if my magic combo doesn't work for 3 days in a row. On day 4, that's when I take the caplets.

Made it to day 2 post op! Not so much in pain, but get some very uncomfortable stomach feelings or cramps. They prescribed oxy and liquid Tylenol which I’ve been taking pretty much every 3-4 hours (woke up every three hours the first night following the procedure). Otherwise I’ve been up and walking in between napping - very tired! I had my procedure Thursday and was planning to go back into my office on Tuesday. Based on how tired I am, I will probably work from home the whole week following the procedure. My dietary guidelines are as follows: Day 1 (procedure day) & Day 2: Clear liquids, supposed to have 64 oz of Gatorade or a diluted fruit juice but I haven’t been able to drink that much at all. They said the first two days are the worst as your stomach heals, so hoping tomorrow is better. 4 weeks: Full liquid diet 2 weeks: Blended/pureed foods 4 weeks: Soft foods Regular food I feel ready but am a little nervous for the amount of drinking I’ll be doing at the office!

I took Latuda for bipolar when I had my sleeve three years ago and my prescribing doctor was concerned about me not getting enough calories in the beginning for it to absorb properly as well. (For those who don’t know about this particular medication it’s not about it not absorbing due to the surgery itself like many controlled release meds. This med needs the 350 calories in order to absorb fully for anyone, not just people who had surgery). Anyways, My doctor switched me to vraylar for a couple of months prior to surgery just to make sure I was stable on it and then a short time after until I was back to being able to consume 350 calories at one time. The vraylar is quite expensive but luckily they were able to get enough samples for me. The plan was to switch me back once I was eating enough. What was weird and unexpected was post surgery when he tried to switch me back to the Latuda all of a sudden it caused me a great deal of anxiety and I couldn’t tolerate it anymore (even though I was on it for three years before surgery) so he kept me on the vraylar a little longer until things got back more normal for me and then made another change. I am now on a completely different medication. Neither the surgeon or prescribing dr could explain that anxiety except that when you alter the anatomy things just happen sometimes but I just worked with my prescribing dr and he sorted it out. The most important thing is that your prescribing dr and your loved ones are very aware that you may encounter some issues and that everyone is on top of it. If you feel the slightest bit off, you may need to be the one to contact your Dr. You mentioned “the switch” as an option. Not sure if you are speaking if the SADI switch or the Duodenal switch but both of those are restrictive and malabsorbing surgeries. The reason they suggested the sleeve for me was because they were concerned about my other meds not absorbing fully just because of the malabsorbing component of the other surgery. Fast forward three years and I gained my weight back and we are now considering conversion to the SADI or bypass because I gained my weight back. I gained it back because I ate the wrong things though so don’t let that scare you. I only mention it because I’m guessing you can see my current weight and may wonder why I didn’t lose. I did lose quite a bit and maintained it for a while but I was discouraged I didn’t lose it all and I let that get to me. Which is something you should be aware of, you may not lose as much as someone who is not on all these meds. Just don’t get too caught up in comparing your journey to others. I am 5’8” and I got down to 168. I would be so much happier and healthy now if I had just accepted that win instead of getting it in my head that I failed by not making it to where others did.

Thank you! I thought I had already responded to your post. Apparently I didn't hit submit reply. As I've mentioned in other post's. My weight has been stalled. However I weighed today and I'm down 4 lbs. I'm at 245 lbs. I'm not sure if the scale is playing with me or not. So I'm going to wait a few days before testing it out again. My biggest progress that I see is in my clothes. I'm in pant sizes that I haven't been in since 2002. The other big plus I see with you and everyone else. We've just started this journey. In the next 6 months all of us will look dramatically different. I intend to post more pictures along the way. I hope everyone else does as well. Your progress pics look great. The progress is real and will only get better. I wish you and everyone else the best with progress to your goal. 😃

@LisaCaryl How's the dehydration going? Have you tried jello and sugar free ice pops? @NickelChip How are you coping with being back on the liquid diet? @Noelle74 I hope your stall isn't getting you down too much. Hang on in there. How are you coping with being back on the liquid diet? @RonHall908 How are you getting along? Not too much knee pain ? @Rae70 Are you feeling a bit better? Has your sleeve settled ? I'm starting to have real issues with my supplements, the one with the iron keeps on making me sick everytime I take it. I've tried empty stomach, full stomach, and everything in between... It systematically makes me vomit within 5 minutes ... any tips ? Thanks all.

OK so I could eat most of that in one sitting these days! There's no way I could stop when you did, but I'd have a break of a few hours (3 approx) before having to eat again. How long after those three bites of the sandwich and few forkfuls of the greens did you need to eat again OP??

Don't let it get to that point, if you can help it. Make sure you have plenty of fluids, fiber, and MiraLax. In the very beginning, I needed Miralax in the morning and a stool softener/laxative combo at night. I did that for the first 6 weeks, then I was able to just use the Miralax everyday. But the last thing you want, especially in the first 6 weeks, is to be straining. The staples will be fine, but it's the healing from the surgery and the pain the straining can cause that you want to avoid.

Sorry to hear you've had to go through this. My surgery is in October and I'm a bundle of nerves. I've been put on a 12 week liquid diet, and I couldn't imagine going through all this and then having to reschedule. Good Luck to you!

This is terrible. What sort of aftercare is that. Send an email directly to the surgeon if you can listing the questions you have & didn’t receive answers about or didn’t have a chance to ask because you were pushed out the door. I had good follow up which is why I’m very surprised & disappointed for you at your after care. I saw my surgeon at week 2, 1 month & then the 3rd month. A colleague then took up my follow up appointments. I saw them every three months until my third year. I still see this doctor every 6 months. I don’t know for how much longer though. I guess my next appointment at my 5 year mark will tell.

From what I gathered, most programs don't really give you a set calorie goal or exact amount of carbs and fat. Mine gave me a protein goal 80-100g and to concentrate on hydration and vitamins. Typically because of restriction, by the time you work around getting to the protein goal, carbs and fats work themselves out. That being said, I am 9 months out and typically have around 1000 cals a day, 80g protein avg, and 50g or less of carbs just because that's how it works out. I don't pay too much mind to fats. Your loss is great and your rate of continuous loss of 1-2lbs a week is great. It definitely slows down as you lose and your body adjusts. Stalls are also common and don't last forever. It took me a month to lose 3lbs and then I lost 3lbs in a week after. It's just part of the process. Every body is different and even your own body will behave differently at different stages.

Thank you @Shanna NYC for your kind words. I broke my stall (slightly) this morning and am feeling much better for it ... I also know that I need to work on my coping mechanisms and be kinder to myself. Up until 2019 I'd never weighed more than 115 pounds for my whole adult life ... and then I gained nearly 100 pounds in just over a year and have spent the last 3 years desperatly unhappy and going through cycles of loosing and gaining the same 20 pounds and you are right ...25lbs is more than I've lost on any of the crazy diets I've tried... So I'm on the right track! Merci Encore (as we say in French!)