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Hi All! I'm a long-time lurker and decided to join the club since this has been my #1 visited site for many months now. Due to COVID, my surgery was postponed to 6/18 so I am 5 days post-op. The day of surgery and the following 3 days were the most painful days of my life, and I almost regretted even going through with all of this. It was somewhat surprising since a lot of people on here seem to not have much pan post-op. I had trouble getting in any fluids, even water, and didn't even think about protein until the 2nd day after surgery. I was discharged from the hospital the next day and spent the next couple of days at my parents' house which was tough because I had to watch them eat all this good food and I couldn't touch anything. It was mostly head hunger, but due to my extremely low energy levels and the fact that I hadn't eaten for a few days, I definitely felt like I wanted to eat something. I got off the pain meds as soon as I could so I could drive back to my own house where I had everything I needed and no distractions or temptations. From reading this site, every doctor seems to have a different recovery plan, mostly the timing. My doctor said clear liquids for the first week after surgery, and at Day 5 post-op I am aiming to finally get the recommended 64oz of fluids and 64g of protein which has eluded me the past few days. My pre-op journey started in early November 2019. I lost about 20lbs prior to surgery. I am already down 10lbs post-op. I am hoping that once I can move to a full liquid diet, my energy levels will increase and I can resume some form of exercise and really get as much weight off as I can during this honeymoon period. Right now, I am pretty sedentary and just fighting to stay awake for an entire day and walk around a little. Before surgery, I was walking or hiking for about an hour a day, 5-7 days/week, but I think it is going to be a slow road getting back to that.

I'm regularly told I'm skinny, by family and now I'm getting it from colleagues. Objectively I can see my ribs, and collarbones, and my arms are just muscle and bone (and loose skin!). BUT my size 10 Aus pants fall off my hips and are tight on my calves 😭. I look at my legs and think they are huge, but have no butt anymore, just loose skin. I don't feel like I look in proportion. Body dysmporphia is real and hard to move past. Plus I'm only 0.6 of a kg from from my goal weight of 60kg. But my weightloss disordered eating brain says "we'll, why not get to 59? Why stop there, get to 58?". So maintenance and deciding when is enough is going to be hard for me. At my last surgeon visit the exercise physiologist told me I should stop losing weight as my body fat was getting low. I've lost another 8.5kg since then. And it still falls off pretty easily nearly 9 months out from vsg.

Oh my, I never in my dreams would have thought I would say that I have officially lost ONE HUNDRED POUNDS! But today, that is exactly what I have done! Starting weight 226.8. Today's weight 126.8, and I feel great! Solidly in a size 4. Love wearing tight fitting clothes and DRESSES! I haven't loved wearing dresses since I was in HS (despite the fact that I weighed under 135 until I was 23). Still need to lose some "calf" and still need to flatten my belly and tone my upper arms. But I love this weight. Wondering if I will be able to stay here, or will I put on the infamous 10 pounds. Only negative is my husband actually told me I look "sickly" a couple weeks ago. I never thought I went through that phase. Then this week he commented I look "skeletal". And I KNOW I don't. I have even asked a friend to be honest and tell me if I do look sickly or skeletal at all (since I am obviously not impartial). She says I look great, which made me feel better. When I let my husband know that his comments upset me, he does backpedal... but I cannot unhear those words. I really think he doesn't mean to be hurtful, but he does say things like that without thinking and it does hurt. Anyway... I officially stopped trying to lose weight a couple months ago. I hit my goal back in April and was happy there. It surprises me when I do drop pounds again. I guess I need to up my calories some more. I don't totally follow my diet anymore. I do eat limited sweets to satisfy cravings. But outside of that, I am not eating "bad". I haven't had anything to drink since July other than water, vitamin water zero, and occasional gatorade zero or decaf and unsweetened herbal teas. I don't count my calories (have always been bad at that), but I do eat small portions and not too frequently. Most of the time I avoid any carbs. I mix my protein source with veggies. I do best with my eating if the two are actually mixed together (for example, I cook ground beef with cabbage, onions, peppers, and tomatoes - my stomach loves things like that). I guess I just have to figure out what to add in, without developing bad habits again! When I DO add carbs, it is most often a little potato in whatever I cooked, or beans (which is also protein so that one is usually pretty good). I "LOVE" pizza... so I do sometimes eat that, although most of the time I get one with a cauliflower crust. If I eat a real pizza, it has a very thin crust.

When I had Anthem they required 6 months. My job switched insurances to bcbstx they didn't require a medically supervised diet but my company required me to complete 10 weeks of Naturally Slim.

I agree. A soft melted cheese could be digested if you can eat string cheese. I did a liquid diet 10 days then added string cheese and eggs for the puree diet. I double checked all my nutritional guidelines and cheeses (other than cottage cheese) are not mentioned amongst the recommended long term diet. Eggs are OK occasionally, but not daily. In other words, string cheese may get you through the restrictive diet but remember there are better ways to get protein once you are allowed to eat meat.

I can only speak about sleeve, but it was normal. I had mad cravings for the first 10 days'ish & I'd "think" I was hungry when I really wasn't. I read somewhere that it is just your brain not correlating to your new stomach yet. Your mind and body has to adjust. Your brain still thinks you can eat whatever you want. Yes, it DEFINITELY goes away with time. Don't worry!

Sure you can ask. I had to have it reversed as I would not stop developing ulcers even though I was on three different medications and long story short would not stop losing weight, I lost 200 lbs in a year and a half and another 10 before they could schedule the surgery and reverse. I have quickly gained back 100 and that is good and bad as I lost 50lbs below where I was supposed to have stopped. I was throwing up blood and was just a sick lady. Unfortunately, now I have developed a severe case of GERD and some of the other health issues have came back. My doctor is a wonderful surgeon and thinks that the MDS will help the GERD as you should not be able to have it nor ulcers from this surgery, I hope he is right as every time I eat I get to my stomach and the neds don't seem to be assisting at all.

I’m here. Tad crazy. Left Tijuana 2:30am to cross the border to the San Diego airport and had a layover in Atlanta when we arrived in Florida the sun was setting. Got home is was so late ... I didn’t sleep at all before we departed aside from passing out briefly from my last massage at 1pm and a shower. ❤️ Thank you. The flight was a challenge. I’m resting a bit so I’ll try to make this quick. Thank goodness the bathroom stalls had doors with no gaps. It was a challenge to pee and empty my drain and record output for the doctor. I had a light shopping bag with a few necessities and borrowed my mom’s walker to get around the airport if I needed to walk a little. Honestly my knees were already crazy swollen. And my piggy feet. But the flight wasn’t helping so I tried to move when I could. In Atlanta I made the mistake of walking a little too far. Had a bathroom Issue but made sure to keep my incisions dry. had help with a wheelchair For most of it except waiting for the plane if I needed the restroom or wanted to look at a shop. There is no real food traveling because of Covid so much is closed. well not to post tmi but we got home and all of a sudden I had to rush (Which I can’t) into my bedroom shut the door (my bathroom is in there) and figure out how to get the Faja off at least down fast enough 🤣 lets just say ten days worth of something finally said ok I’m gettin outa here ... Ready or not. I could see the difference right away. What a relief. My right leg is still more swollen than my left but that’s always been a size difference. My left leg incision was dripping fluids last night so I changed the gauze. Made sure everything was dry and pulled up the Faja the best I could, threw on my nightgown and accidentally went to bed without emptying the drain first. Kind of fell into a weird sleep where I’m thinking things that make no sense so I’m asleep but not enough. Woke up and 1:30am maybe and realized the thing was full and I was in a weird position on the bed and got up to fix things ... its hard trying to get into routine at home and not clash with my mom over things. I set up my bed with prop up pillows the best I could. Oh fudge I’m probably writing tmi. I have my own challenges with my chronic illness and disability. I try to set simple routine. I planned my meals for the week and will add basic medical notes. I ordered some things from amazon a shower seat, gauze, paper tape, wound care spray, some pads to protect the bed in case any incision leaks ... gauze wash cloths for the shower for the sensitive areas. ordered protein bars I buy Built Bars I love them a lot of flavors are 110 calories (mint brownie is soooo good) but right now they have 50% off everything and then even more of limited flavors. Use my link you get $10 extra off. http://i.refs.cc/cz4s4C3c?smile_ref=eyJzbWlsZV9zb3VyY2UiOiJzbWlsZV91aSIsInNtaWxlX21lZGl1bSI6IiIsInNtaWxlX2NhbXBhaWduIjoicmVmZXJyYWxfcHJvZ3JhbSIsInNtaWxlX2N1c3RvbWVyX2lkIjo0MTA4MjMzMDd9 of course now I’m totally broke, literally. ah well. where was I havent weighed myself yet ... Not brave enough and still swollen. edit: I think my incisions are doing surprisingly well. My surgeon thought so too at my last visit before leaving. Of course is main concern is that 2-3 week mark. I think I’m standing a little straighter. Albeit now I’m trying to sort out my new normal. Separating my chronic issues from my recovery. And trying not to push too hard.

I had my surgery five years ago, lost 235 lbs, have gained back 20. Since most people do gain about 10% of their lost weight back the second or third year post-op (and unfortunately, some gain much more than that), I was expecting that. But I can tell you it is a CONSTANT battle to keep from gaining more. It's all a head game. I can maintain my weight as long as I stay at or under 1700 calories/day. But I can definitely eat MUCH more than that at this point. As I said, it's a constant, daily battle. The surgery only gives you a strong tail wind as well as a much better chance of taking - and keeping - the weight off (I'm sure you've heard that without surgery, fewer than 5% of people can lose a significant amount of weight and keep it off. The odds are much higher for those of us who've had surgery, but not 100%). But you still have to work at it every day for the rest of your life. Ugh - but - that's the way it is, it seems. I still weigh/measure and track my food. If I don't monitor it closely most of the time, my weight starts heading north again really fast.

That was me, too. I always saw myself as overweight, but not really obese. Now when I look at old photos I am mortified at how fat I really was. Now it is hard to envision myself as anything but large. I went from a 24 jeans to a 10, and am very comfortable with that. I did save some old jeans and it is really pretty horrifying to think that I could now fit TWO of me into that pair! What has helped reframe my new size is looking at other people at work who wear the same sized scrubs as I do. I used to wear 2XX and now wear small. It has helped to see other people who wear smalls, also, to realize that my size is the same as theirs. It still seems surreal at times, but the small scrubs don't lie. I really am that size. This daily reinforcement has been a positive reality check for me.

I'm a month out and have developed gastritis. Went to the hospital 2 nights ago because the pain is UNBEARABLE. After 10 hours and a CAT scan later. They came up with gastritis. Scan showed everything internally healing as it should, no leaks...sleeve is perfect. I woke up last night and snatched my mask off because I could FEEL. A gigantic gas bubble develop in my chest. For the past few nights I've only worn my CPAP about 3-4 hours because it feels like I'm suffocating after a year of having it. Anyone else experienced or heard of this? It's MY time!

I’m on my liquid diet , I stared on June 16 and just yesterday June 19 I stated to get super constipated like it’s there right but It won’t come out because it’s super solid 🙈🥺 it hurts .. did any one have constipation issues if so how did you do it.

Hi there ! That’s great ! I’m 10 months post op . Hw-272 Sw-260 Cw-203 Gw-140-150 I’m 5’3” It’s been a hard road and I feel like I’ve lost a very slow rate . I had to incorporate Exercise - cardio and weights also I’ve been trying to do a green smoothie in the morning and a big salad for lunch , dinner is balanced meal . Good luck keep on keeping on !!!

@BrandiRB Hi, and congrats! We’re sleeve twins! I also had my VSG on 6/10/20. For everyone else, congrats as well. I had the lapband back in 2014 and lost about 90lbs in less than a year. I did really well. I got pregnant in 2015, gave birth in 2016. I lost all of my pregnancy weight and got back on track but wasn’t losing weight. By 2017, I had gained about 30lbs or so. I had to find a different doctor because my surgeon’s practice had closed down. I had an EGD done which revealed that my lapband had corroded causing a hole in my stomach. I had the lapband removed in January 2018. My surgeon said it would take 6 months to a year before considering a revision because the hole needed to heal properly. So fast forward to November 2019: I found a surgeon with an affordable cash pay option. I had another EGD done to make sure the hole healed properly and that the scar tissue was minimal. Once I got the okay, we scheduled my procedure. Unfortunately, COVID-19 delayed it. So, I started my liquid diet on 6/1/20. It was supposed to be for 2 weeks where I’d have surgery on 6/15/20 but my surgeon pushed me up to 6/10/20 because he said he had a family emergency and would be traveling out of town. So, my liquid preop diet was for 10 days instead of 14 days. My preop weight was 337 on 6/1/20. On the day of surgery (6/10/20), I weighed 322. Today (6/21/20), I weigh 315. The incision site is still a little tender but they are healing well. It didn’t help that one of my kids accidentally ran into it (twice 😩). I still can’t sleep on my side yet. I’m having a hard time getting in regular water. I HAVE to have a Crystal Light to drink it smoothly. Protein Shakes are okay but I have to pace myself. I also noticed that I have to start early in the day to get it all in. There are some days that I have not gotten it all in. I don’t always have a desire to “eat.” It’s weird but I don’t want to force myself. I did this on yesterday and got nauseous. First (and last) time I do that. I do have a desire to chew - not because I’m hungry - just because chewing is what I’ve been accustomed to and can’t do just yet. So, my diet setup is like this: 10 days - preop full liquids Weeks 1 & 2 - post op full liquids Week 3 - post op purée foods Week 4 - post op soft foods Week 5 - post op regular texture/low carb/high protein My surgeon’s Nurse Practitioner met with me for my 1 week follow up and said that I should lose about 20lbs by the time of my 1 month post op appointment. I was like YIKES but okay. As far as exercise goes, I’ve walked in my home mostly. I did go on a walk with my husband and kids one day last week as well. It wasn’t bad but I was a bit anxious. I plan to amp it up as I can tolerate it. I still have some trapped gas and my back is very painful when I yawn, stretch or sit/lay a certain way. I believe it’ll go away in due time, though. I have an abdominal binder that I’m supposed to wear at all times when I’m awake. I’ve worn it daily but not for the entire day. I usually tolerate it for about 7/8 hours. My surgeon said it’s supposed to help my stomach and other organs as it heals to sort of “snap back.” They suggested I wear it for the first month. Bad breath - yep, I have it. I’m brushing and rinsing often to help deal with it. I look forward to changing up my diet because this, my friends, is not cute! I drove at 1 week/1day post op and did fine. I cannot drive my SUV just yet because it’s hard for me to get up and done. So I’m driving my husband’s car for now. Other than that, I’m gradually getting back into the swing of my normal routine. I’ve meal prepped for my family, done laundry and housework as well. I take my time and listen to my body. If I feel winded, I rest. I’m excited about this journey. I honestly don’t know what my end goal is.

@BrandiRB Hi, and congrats! We’re sleeve twins! I also had my VSG on 6/10/20. For everyone else, congrats as well. I had the lapband back in 2014 and lost about 90lbs in less than a year. I did really well. I got pregnant in 2015, gave birth in 2016. I lost all of my pregnancy weight and got back on track but wasn’t losing weight. By 2017, I had gained about 30lbs or so. I had to find a different doctor because my surgeon’s practice had closed down. I had an EGD done which revealed that my lapband had corroded causing a hole in my stomach. I had the lapband removed in January 2018. My surgeon said it would take 6 months to a year before considering a revision because the hole needed to heal properly. So fast forward to November 2019: I found a surgeon with an affordable cash pay option. I had another EGD done to make sure the hole healed properly and that the scar tissue was minimal. Once I got the okay, we scheduled my procedure. Unfortunately, COVID-19 delayed it. So, I started my liquid diet on 6/1/20. It was supposed to be for 2 weeks where I’d have surgery on 6/15/20 but my surgeon pushed me up to 6/10/20 because he said he had a family emergency and would be traveling out of town. So, my liquid preop diet was for 10 days instead of 14 days. My preop weight was 337 on 6/1/20. On the day of surgery (6/10/20), I weighed 322. Today (6/21/20), I weigh 315. The incision site is still a little tender but they are healing well. It didn’t help that one of my kids accidentally ran into it (twice 😩). I still can’t sleep on my side yet. I’m having a hard time getting in regular water. I HAVE to have a Crystal Light to drink it smoothly. Protein Shakes are okay but I have to pace myself. I also noticed that I have to start early in the day to get it all in. There are some days that I have not gotten it all in. I don’t always have a desire to “eat.” It’s weird but I don’t want to force myself. I did this on yesterday and got nauseous. First (and last) time I do that. I do have a desire to chew - not because I’m hungry - just because chewing is what I’ve been accustomed to and can’t do just yet. So, my diet setup is like this: 10 days - preop full liquids Weeks 1 & 2 - post op full liquids Week 3 - post op purée foods Week 4 - post op soft foods Week 5 - post op regular texture/low carb/high protein My surgeon’s Nurse Practitioner met with me for my 1 week follow up and said that I should lose about 20lbs by the time of my 1 month post op appointment. I was like YIKES but okay. As far as exercise goes, I’ve walked in my home mostly. I did go on a walk with my husband and kids one day last week as well. It wasn’t bad but I was a bit anxious. I plan to amp it up as I can tolerate it. I still have some trapped gas and my back is very painful when I yawn, stretch or sit/lay a certain way. I believe it’ll go away in due time, though. I have an abdominal binder that I’m supposed to wear at all times when I’m awake. I’ve worn it daily but not for the entire day. I usually tolerate it for about 7/8 hours. My surgeon said it’s supposed to help my stomach and other organs as it heals to sort of “snap back.” They suggested I wear it for the first month. Bad breath - yep, I have it. I’m brushing and rinsing often to help deal with it. I look forward to changing up my diet because this, my friends, is not cute! I drove at 1 week/1day post op and did fine. I cannot drive my SUV just yet because it’s hard for me to get up and done. So I’m driving my husband’s car for now. Other than that, I’m gradually getting back into the swing of my normal routine. I’ve meal prepped for my family, done laundry and housework as well. I take my time and listen to my body. If I feel winded, I rest. I’m excited about this journey. I honestly don’t know what my end goal is.

I had a Covid test before my surgery. Honestly, it was no big deal. I went to a drive-thru test site. The test itself involved sticking a very thin swab waaaaay up one nostril and swirling it around for about 10 seconds. It tickled going in but burned when it reached where it needed to go. The whole time she was doing it I just moaned and said "uggghhh make it stop make it stop." Then it was over and within about 20 minutes my nose didn't even feel weird anymore. In my experience, a strep test is MUCH worse - I have involuntarily pushed nurses away who were trying to swab my throat! Even though I was 99.9% sure my result would be negative, having that confirmed by the test was reassuring.

Childbirth hahaha Not even close! I’ve had 5 covid tests. Three for surgery and 2 for thinking I was and one for routine at doc. It’s not horrendous but It’s not fun at all. It’s more weird and discomfort. Takes 10 seconds if that.

Jennifer, I felt this same way. I cried when I was having my psychological consult about that very thing. But the doctor told me that I should be proud of myself and not feel shame. She said this is not going to be easy, you are making a commitment. Luckily, my sister (also named Jennifer) had the same advice and is incredibly supportive. I'm happy you're excited. You should be. I'm three weeks out and it's been very interesting adjusting to limited foods, not being particularly hungry, and not being able to eat the way I use to when I feel emotional. I watch videos on YouTube of a woman who had the surgery a couple of years ago and has posted since the beginning. She has a nice presence and covers so many topics including what she eats now, recipes, etc. It's called My Level 10 Life on YouTube.

I understand your concern. I had it done the day of surgery. Fortunately, I was able to have the blood test done for COVID-19 instead of the nasal swab. It reminded me of getting a finger stick to check your glucose. It was simple, quick and less uncomfortable for me. See if that’s an option.

🤣 No wonder mine wasn't that bad.. only one nostril and it seemed to be finished in 10 seconds. 🤣

My program is no fluids 10 minutes before meals and 30 minutes after and I can definitely tell if I drink too soon. It hurts and backs up on me. However, during the liquid stage I didn't have "meals" per se but fluid goals to meet, so I drank whatever went down that got me to my goals. Within 6 hours of surgery I could drink 1 ounce of protein fluid and 1 ounce of water, at the same time, every 15 minutes. I always took my meds with protein fluids to "coat" my stomach. Now in purees (started 2 weeks out), I follow 3 meals and 2 snacks with water all day between. Protein shake for breakfast and a lot of cottage cheese, greek yogurt, hummus, eggs, and pureed meats and pureed steamed veggies. I can eat way more volume than predicted in a sitting, though, and can drink 20 ounces of water in 45 minutes. I drink 70 to 90 ounces of water a day and get around 80 grams of protein. I have atypical GERD where it only flares with my asthma, but also mild gastritis so I'm on omeprazole for 3 months. I feel "hungry" a lot but often find that I am actually thirsty (or its head hunger and habit/boredom). I also bought some antacid chews and find 1-2 of those a day really cut down on the sharp feeling in my stomach. My doc says that the hunger and larger volume per meal will steadily decrease the more I move away from puree to soft to regular as solid food is more filling per volume. I've had a breakfast shake for years, so I will keep that to help with my protein goal but really hope to stop wanting to eat because I feel hungry soon. Plus it will be easier to make fewer separate meals when cooking for the family.

Personally, I drink up until eating (although not too much - maybe 1/4-1/2 cup max in the 10 minutes before). I also don't stress much about a few sips with meals. A lot of the vitamins suggest to take them with meals to increase absorption, so I do that. (Also, sometimes my mouth just gets really dry when eating, so I eat an ice cube or something.) The no liquid with eating rule is to avoid washing the food out of your stomach. You want your stomach to feel full for an hour or two after eating - that's what helps reset your body's weight set point. (I read on here once someone saying that she feels like its Thanksgiving after every meal - me too. 🤣) Drinking before your meal isn't going to wash the food away. A sip with your vitamin isn't going to wash the food away either. It's going to feel uncomfortable to eat and drink for a while, which makes it hard for you to sort out what it means to be full or feel hungry now. Even though you may be feeling the gas pain more at the moment, keep in mind there is a ~12 inch incision on your stomach - much bigger than the ones you can see on your skin. It's swollen in there. But that's going to get much better over the next month or so, and you can start really working out what works for you and your new stomach.

My VSG was on 6/5. I had a very difficult time in the hospital. Dry heaving and vomiting. I went home on day 3. By day 10 I was back admitted for dehydration for 3 days. It’s been a struggle. But I’m trying to stay positive

I had it on Monday. It’s kind of like the feeling when water goes up your nose in the pool and it burns a little bit. The stinging a little milder than that, but it’s a little more sustained as they have to do it 10 seconds in each nostril. I haven’t read the responses above, so my next comment isn’t toward anyone particular, but I’ve heard seen so many people online being dramatic about the test and referring to it as horrible (someone was telling people it’s like childbirth - what?! 0. There’s are some horrible medical procedures, and this one is not. For those of you who haven’t had it yet, please don’t worry