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I'm about a week into the pre-op diet, and it was ROUGH. But, it gets better. The headaches finally stopped, and today, I have barely thought about food. In fact, it's almost 4 pm right now, and I'm still sipping on lunch. A lunch, by the way, I forgot about eating. We even went to the grocery, and I was totally fine. The weird part was all the smells and food was actually calming. It gets better. Keep pushing through. YOU GOT THIS!!!

And just another general catch-up post from me. 17 months post op, I have lost another 2lbs this month after a loooong stall when I thought I was done losing. Now 140lbs. If I lose 2 more I will have exactly halved my starting weight. What a thought!! Still eating around 1500 calories a day on average [1300-1400 on weekdays, 1800-1900 on weekends (alcohol!!)] 😁 All is good with me basically. I have started to run a leeeetle bit after many years of not being able to. It's my favourite kind of exercise - just am older than when I did it before and gonna be sensible if it doesn't work out for me (and my older hips!) Any other November 2021 people still around and, if so, can we hear how you're doing now?

Hi Everyone, I'm set to be re-sleeved in Turkey in 14 days. I will try to post as much as possible. I've always had a low bmi. My first sleeve was 2018 but I really didn't feel the fullness others have talked about, and 6 months later I was pregnant which stalled me and I regained the weight back after a miscarriage. This time I am determined not to repeat past mistakes. I will be self pay and my re-sleeve is scheduled for May 8. If anyone is in my situation let me know.

I went on a trip about two months post op also. What worked for me eating out was splitting an entree with someone else. We split the main protein exactly in half and I just had a bite or two of the sides. It seemed to be a good amount of food for my travel companion also. Or if they didn’t want to share I just ordered a protein focused appetizer for my meal. Ultimately getting enough protein is the main goal so that’s really all I focused on and it went well. So if chicken tenders were my only option, that’s what I had and I picked off some of the breading. For snacks I kept jerky, protein bars, and nut packs in my purse. Pretty much every convenience store or gas station has protein drinks so since we were flying I didn’t worry about bringing them with me, but if you’re driving I’d keep a case in the car. At that point I was pretty religiously eating every 3 hours on the dot so it’s good to have protein snacks handy! I also kept liquid iv packets in my purse to help keep up with hydration.

Hi @MelbaT. thanks for your response! I can relate to everything you said...which is sad and comforting all at once. Haha A few responses to your questions: - I was the one who recommended the Vital Proteins...so glad it worked out! - Regarding shakes, I feel the exact same way. I just choked down one more this morning, the rest are getting thrown out. Everything is sickly sweet and texture too thick. I'm finding herbal tea and broth easier. Definitely prefer savory or salt right now. All of this is normal! The only shake I tolerate is Fairlife chocolate with 30 g of protein. Unfortunately, it's out of stock everywhere around here. I do have an Amazon shipment arriving Friday thank goodness. Regarding the constipation, it's also very common. My RD said I would probably only go every 3 or 4 days now, and she has been right. I take Colace and Benefiber every day and that seems to work. If not, my doctor recommends adding milk of magnesia. That should help! My RD definitely recommends eating a mini meal every 2.5 - 3 hours (5-6 meals per day). This prevents hunger and keeps us from making less than healthy choices later in the day (a problem I had pre-surgery). They don't want us skipping meals. So, RD said eat/drink every few hours, even if it's a 1/4 cup of shake. I too have noticed what I think are hot flashes, along with lots of cold shivers. Again. all normal considering how little calories we are taking in. I laughed about the bra situation 🤣. I feel the same issue and have been wearing a soft cotton athletic tank top type bra. Cheap for a 3 or 4 pack from Amazon. I also have a lot of left sided pain, again to be expected. However, it is finally starting to improve. I'm better able to walk upright without holding my sore stomach half the day. Lol I'm so excited for you that you're paying attention to the body changes. That's great progress, no matter what the scale says. I'm noticing something new everyday. It's mind blowing! I finally have boney elbows again!🤣 You're doing great, just keep going hour by hour if you need to. Stay in close touch with your team also - they have the suggestions that will help you most. Hang in there!

Yes…LOVE the Protein Shots! I buy from Batiatric Pal have tried both the 15 gram and 25 gram whey protein (both 3 oz). I add them to a 16-24 oz water bottle so also get more fluids and tastes great. You can drink the shot alone but it’s pretty tart but very tasty. Great way to add more protein to your day. Throw one in your bag for days you need a boost or busy and not sure when you’ll get your next meal in. Good for travel days too just add to Water. Highly recommend.

Hi Blessed, My RNY was also on 3/29. I've definitely had my struggles and still do! I started on Pureed foods a few days ago. The first few days were rough! I think I was so excited to start on them that I overdid it a couple times. Pretty sick after that. Felt faint-ish, weak, racing heart, VERY nauseous. Luckily both times were around bed time, so I laid down and after a while subsided and I finally slept. I have given up the protein shakes as even to LOOK at them makes me feel like vomiting. VERY strong aversion to them now. I bought the Vital Proteins Collagen Peptide powder someone on here (sorry I can't remember who!) that has 18 grams of protein in 2 tbsp and luckily blends really well, especially in hot things like my coffee, so I start with that every morning. I have no appetite and have to go by when I start feeling weak to make myself eat. I'm sensitive to almost all artificial sweeteners so haven't been able to tolerate sugar free things. How about you? Went shopping with the hubby yesterday and bought most of the things recommended by the fabulous people on here to puree. Great ideas. I'll try the white fish (we bought cod) tonight with thinned mashed potatoes. I was feeling nauseated yesterday after eating egg salad, so a couple hours later I was naughty and ate 3 saltine crackers very slowly which really seemed to help. I don't know about anyone else, but after I eat something, the thought of eating it again makes me ill. Did anyone else have trouble with that? Going back to work has been tough. 10-11 hour days. I work in a very busy vet clinic, so trying to get in "snacks" has been difficult and I end up feeling crappy, weak, brain fog until I get to lunch. The last couple days getting in my water while I'm there has been tough too. Everyone I work with is awesome and would allow me the chance to get a snack, but it takes so long to eat it that I feel guilty for having to step away for a bit to do that, especially since we've been short-handed. I just need to do it, though. Next thing here is totally TMI, so skip if you don't wanna know. I've had a b/m almost daily, but never a complete one. They are very pasty and don't seem to want to evacuate my body well (LOL). I did start eating Activia with protein powder in it to see if that will help. Miralax and Dulcolax does NADA for me. Any other recommendations? My left side still has some pain- almost gas-like. I've taken the chewable Gas-x which doesn't do much either. I definitely don't like my bra sitting on top of where my stomach is, so off it goes at all times when I'm at home! Weird thing is that my hot flashes have seemed to return with a vengeance which a year before surgery had finally stopped. Bummer. Anyone else struggling with this? I've been working with my shrink regarding my meds. We've had to adjust things a couple times already. I can't take Gabapentin at bed time anymore- makes me so dizzy. Also switching from Zoloft to Lamotrigine. I used to take all my meds at once in one big swallow. Can't do THAT anymore, so slowly it goes, which frustrates me a bit. The good thing is that overall I'm doing pretty good. I'm only weighing myself once a week, so Wed. I'll reweigh myself. My body is totally changing tho! I still don't have a lot of energy, but hopefully that will improve over time. Some days are better than others. I did take some "before" pictures (but can't figure out how to edit out my boobs so will be for my eyes only!), just to help me see my progress if the scales don't show a loss. Clothes are much looser already tho! Ok, sorry to ramble so long. I threw a lot out there, but that's kinda how I am. It soooo helps to know if others are going or have gone thru these same things! I look forward to and love the feedback. I hope you and everyone else are doing well!

Yes. Preop is rough. Mine is 14 days. So I'm 7 days into it. The headaches are getting better, finally. I'm so over the shakes. I have 2 per day and 3 oz lean protein, a cup of veggies, and small amount of whole grain pasta or brown rice for dinner. I can also have a snack of cottage cheese, fruit, or yogurt. Yes, I miss variety too. But, like you said, this is temporary.

Mine is May 1st too! My preop diet is 14 days. It's been a rough first week.

Thanks for the insight. It'll be 2 months post surgery when we leave. So, I'm super nervous about navigating regular food. I'll have only been off my 6 week post op diet a couple of weeks by then, hopefully. I'll definitely have to get creative.

Today is 8 months since surgery. I am hovering at my goal weight which I hit 3 days ago. I have gone from size 16-18 to 4-6. I am beyond psyched. I celebrated by buying my first pair of running shoes, so that's the next thing. I already have a date for a tummy tuck in August. Hope everyone is doing well!

as others have said, weight loss after revisions is almost always slower than after a virgin surgery. Plus you're starting at a lower BMI to boot (and starting BMI is another factor in how fast or slow the weight loss is). Honestly, even given that, you're still losing faster than most people who've had a revision (and even faster than some of us slow-pokes who had a virgin surgery!). You are doing great - I'd quit worrying about it. Stay if the scale if it's playing with your mind too much - maybe just weigh once a week or a couple of times a month. If the general trend is down, you're good.

it's probably the carb withdrawal (and if you were a coffee drinker, caffeine withdrawal, too). The "Keto flu" is pretty common the first three or so days. Once your body goes into ketosis (around day 3 or 4), it does get a lot better. In addition to no- or very low calorie fluids (well, plus 4-5 protein shakes), I was allowed V8/tomato juice and clear broth (I think a cup of each) every day, so I always had those since the sodium in them made me retain water, which made me feel a little fuller, and I also ate sugar free popsicles and sugar free Jello with abandon since they were the only things I could have that somewhat resembled real food. There were some days I'd make the Jello that came in the larger-size boxes and eat the whole damn thing!!! Anyway, you'll get through it - and it should ease up a bit in another day or two. P.S. as others have said, the pre-op diet is the worst part of this whole thing. I was actually relieved the morning I was rolled into surgery because the godawful diet was OVER!! I found the progressive eating plan we go through after surgery (liquids, then purees, etc) way easier than that pre-op thing!!

Hi guys! Yesterday was the beginning of month 8 for me. I’ve been doing a lot of reflection. I am hoping to reach 100 lbs by year 1. Which will be on 8/22/23. I’m about 20 lbs away…give or take. I have to keep reminding myself of a few things along the way: 1. My surgery is a revision because my lapband slipped and eroded. I was warned weight loss would be slower than the first time…and it is. (No comparison shopping for me! Lol) 2. I’m older than I was when I first had surgery. That also makes a really big difference. 3. I have to make sure I am keeping myself aware of the difference between stalling out because my body is adjusting and stalling out because I am making the wrong choices in terms of eating and movement…that last has been happening more than not. 4. Beating myself up has never helped me. It doesn’t motivate me, it doesn’t make me make better choices, it doesn’t guarantee that I’ll do what needs doing. It just makes me feel bad. 5. Giving myself grace doesn’t mean allowing myself to eat anything and not move my body. It means I will acknowledge when I’ve gone off path, where I need to improve, and taking those next steps to do that WITHOUT first making myself feel like s**t. My stats so far: Total loss from pre-surgery to now 81. Loss needed to meet my year 1 goal, 19. Loss needed to reach my ultimate goal, 36. I’ve lost a total of 50 inches all around! which is great. Thats all for me. And its a lot. Lol. Thanks for reading if you got through it all. I hope you all have/have had a great month eight! (Hey that rhymes!)

You aren’t doing anything wrong at all. Your stomach is swollen and so you just can’t consume much. Focus on fluids and sip, sip, sip. I’m only 3 weeks out, but things that helped me a lot to date for my fluids are (1) warm bone broths (I like chicken) and (2) alkaline water (which for some reason seems easier to consume).

I just had gastric sleeve done on 4/11. I was a little nervous leading up to it but now I look back and can't believe it is already all done!! You will feel so much better in about a week - don't worry, you got this!!!!!

Just have faith. I have lost approximately 80 pounds (includes pre-surgery loss). My surgery was Oct 3 2022. I get slightly frustrated if I look at the scale too closely. I rely on measurements and how my clothes fit. As well as pictures. Knowing I've lost, I'm still amazed when I look at side by side pictures. I've been stuck between 164-166 since the beginning of April. But if I look at my weekly average, my total loss has stayed at an average of 1.5 pounds per week. Remember the recommend loss for standard weight loss is 1-2 pounds per week. The first stall I had was 3 weeks long then I loose for about 4 weeks before my next stall. Each stall lasts between 3 to 5 weeks for me each time. Then again, I don't have regular bowl movements (never have). Usually, my stall ends after a movement. LOL. Just keep your head up and stay strong. You are doing great. The closer we get to our goal the tougher it will be.

I’m about eight weeks out and the withdrawals are real. The preop diet sends you through the physical withdrawals. After surgery you go through the mental withdrawals. Missing the pleasure of simply eating food in larger quantities, experiencing the tastes over and over, as opposed to simply having 5 to 6 ounces per meal is a real kick in the mental gut. But the alternative is a life of being fat, increased, comorbidities, and a life of fat misery. Does your surgery team offer any counseling? If so, it might be good to talk to someone. I know I am thinking about it myself due to the mourning and mental withdrawals of my food addictions. It is my opinion, and just mine, that this represents the hardest part of this entire journey and is what ultimately leads to failure and the regaining of weight. I wish you all the best as it is definitely worth it on the other side.

A few of us are on pre op diet now. How's it going? My surgeon has me on it for 28 days, I'm on Day 12 now. It's going fine, I'm not craving anything and my meals are filling. I just miss having variety of food so I'm looking forward to having that back. My plan consists of 3 replacement meals a day, and 2 cups of vegetables wth 2 of my meals. I'm having soups and bars mostly, sometimes a Optifast dessert. I don't do shakes. If you're shakes only stay strong, it's only temporary. We all got this, were all so close now!

Welcome aboard new May Buddies! 1 May - LindsayT, SleeveMeAlone23 2 May - lunababe75, k.e.white, Morenalove 3 May - matt917 4 May - Laryssa 5 May - Sheri 9 May - travelgal 10 May - CarolineLittle, Jason Jacobson 11 May - ElizabethMW 16 May - turkaffe 17 May - Teamme2023_ 22 May - Srxpadillaa 24 May - Shemleylodge

I’m scheduled for May 1st…going into Day 3 of my 10 day pre-op diet hell. So excited to get passed this phase!!!

I was on a full liquid diet for two weeks before surgery (protein shakes) and found the first few days the hardest. I was also going through caffeine withdrawal, which gave me terrible headaches at first. It was pretty easy by week two. Rest assured that it will be easy to stick to your diet for a few months after surgery, because you won't feel like eating. I totally understand your breakup with food. I binged on some of my favorite food the day before my pre-surgery diet. I'm now four years out and am eating more or less normally, although not in the same quantities nor the same unhealthy things I used to eat. I'm no longer tempted by my pre-surgery favorites and don't miss them.

You are going through withdrawals. Sugar addiction cold turkey is a miserable thing (emotional and physical) but it's mercifully short. You'll feel better in a week or so. Just keep repeating to yourself "this isn't forever". 10 days is nothing. Over in the blink of an eye. The pre-op diet is the worst bit. It's legendary in its awfulness. No fun, but essential to shrink that liver so your surgery is as safe as it can be. Distract yourself however you can with games, walks with podcasts/audio books, cleaning, aspirational wishlisting from clothing sites you've always wanted to shop from, focusing on the goal. Grit your teeth and soldier on. I had my pre-surgery nerves kick in on week 2, which actually helped because I couldn't sit still.

Omg! I’m only on Day 2 of my 10 day pre-op diet and I’m struggling. Lots of tears and doubts today. I’ve been sad. I actually feel grief. I’ve heard about people “breaking up” with food and feeling the same symptoms of a relationship break up, but I had no idea how real it was. Plus, the headache both yesterday and today has been miserable. Why do I feel like what believe going through withdrawal feels? I’m not even feeling like I’m starving so much as I just feel alone and scared. I’ve journaled, I’ve talk to my surgery buddy that’s having her sleeve 2 weeks after me, I’ve watched Tic Toks for inspiration and motivation. But I’m still struggling. Anyone have any words to help me through this? I know (hope) this is going to pass in a couple days, but I wasn’t prepared for these intense feelings.

You're losing much faster than I did (I averaged about 2 pounds/1kg per week), and I wasn't a revision patient. Just be patient and kind to yourself and stick to your plan and you'll get where you want to be.