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There are lots of diet plans, both pre and post WLS so it's hard to say exactly what you should do. Personal preferences also play into this a lot. I'd recommend talking to your team as they will have the best info regarding their plan and what they want you to do. As far as protein drink recommendations, I prefer the Fairlife Nutrition Plan pre-made shakes to most others. On the exercise front, sounds like you have a decent plan already, but I'd add a couple of things: Squats are great, but don't neglect your upper body or core. If you can, add in some planks, side planks, pushups and pullups. All of these can be modified to where you're at physically. For example, if you can't do a regular pushup, start with wall pushups. Progress to an elevated surface such as a bench, then move on to a pushup on your knees, etc. Make sure you keep in mind that you want to keep progressing in both the strength and cardio work. So maybe instead of walking just a mile and quitting, try to extend that a few minutes this week, then do a few more minutes next week, etc. Work up to 45 minutes to an hour a day. Instead of just increasing time, you can also vary your pace with walking "intervals". This would be maybe 30 seconds of all-out walking as fast as you can, followed by 2-3 minutes of a more normal pace to recover. Over time, make the all-out push last longer and/or shorten the recovery period.

I dont have any pre-opp diet. Just fasting 6 jours before. Sent from my Pixel 5 using BariatricPal mobile app

yeah i got the sweats. still do now on occasion...im 4+ yrs post op. the sweats were almost always accompanied with accelerated heart beat. sometimes lethargy and nausea. and more rarely, vomiting/diarrhea/"passing out"....all varying degrees of dumping for me as a result of consuming too much sugar or eating too fast.

I was initially told that my surgery would be 4 weeks out. We were going camping and I went out & purchased all of my favorites planning on indulging myself for a week. Not so fast... his office called the 1st day of our trip and said I could have my RNY the next week! That put the kibosh on my plans....🤣

My insurance approved me pretty fast too once they got the information. I took the first surgery date I could get and had the procedure in Nov 2022. For me, the hardest part was the pre op liquid diet those protein shakes were just too sweet. After my surgery a friend of mine put together a protein concoction that i could live with, she put a protein shake, fage greek yougurt 0% unflavored, protein powder and coconut in the blender. Once i drink all of that in a day i know i got about 87 gm of protein. It is not too sweet and it works much better than the straight protein shakes.

I had my surgery this past November at the age of 60. I am down about 32 LBS, i don't expect to lose fast due to genetics and my history but i am determined to continue to follow my plan no matter what. With what i lost so far i already can tell a big difference in how my knees and legs feel, i can walk longer distance without pain which to me is a huge win. I just put on a pair of jeans that have been hanging in my closet for a year because i couldn't even get them over my hips!! For me, the sleeve was definitely the right decision. I still new on this journey but so far so good. I have my surgery with the surgical weight control center in Las Vegas highly recommend

It’s 5a.m and this is day 3 of waking to foot/leg/thigh cramps. Wrapping up week 1 of 2wk liquid fasting and these cramps are WORSE than not eating! As soon as a store opens finding some pickle juice (I don’t even like pickles🥴). Really hope it works.. I’ll let y’all know🙏🏽🫶🏽

I can chug water. Never had a problem meeting my goal. Fluids don't bother me at all and I am able to drink like I never had surgery. You aren't supposed to drink while you eat because it pushes the food through too fast and your body doesn't have enough time to absorb the nutrients.

Can you explain what you mean by false equivalency? A lot of the things @Nepenthe44 mentioned seem to be listed as warning signs for ED: https://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/warning-signs-and-symptoms https://www.allianceforeatingdisorders.com/8-signs-you-may-have-an-eating-disorder/ https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/common-eating-disorders#signs It's plain to see that some of the things bariatric programs (and this forum), encourage are also listed on those pages. Certainly those things alone don't equal an ED diagnosis, but I do think some of them may cross the line into disordered eating, especially if they lead to or cause issues in other parts of our lives. For example: Do you worry about "messing up" on your bariatric program to the extent that it's causing severe anxiety issues? Alternately, if you do eat off plan, do you express self-disgust and make plans for how to "make-up" for what you ate through extreme exercise or fasting? Are you constantly worried about "going over" your calories and/or macros and do you spend hours every day (to the exclusion of work or family), tracking these things? Do you actively avoid eating or drinking in public because you don't or can't eat like a "normal" person? Do you compulsively weigh and measure yourself and freak out when something is off a bit? To me, these are just a few possible examples of how "what's expected of a good bariatric patient" may just cross the line into an eating disorder. Regardless of the reason or intent, when our relationship with food or our bodies becomes an obsession, we have an issue.

I had my op on dec 27th. Ive been on a liquid diet (water, protein shakes, snapple and gatorade and soup). But im pretty concerned not identifying if im hungry or just anxious? Its too fast, i feel, for me.to be wondering thus. Right? Sent from my SM-G975F using BariatricPal mobile app

Yep, getting out of bed was extremely painful. It felt like my insides were tearing. I did bring it up to my Dr & he was not concerned -at all- I quickly learned yeah, it's part of the healing process for some of us. Sucks, but once that pain starts fading, it fades away fast!

Love reading all of your experiences. They have been such a help to me already. I hadn’t posted because I was stuck on “what do I know?” and didn’t want to show myself a fool. My surgery was 12/21/22, so here is my experience so far… lactated ringers IVs are the devil! I went home one day after surgery weighing 11 lbs more than checking in the day before. pain was tolerable with medicine for the first few days. Tylenol only from day 4 out. Today is day 10, and I haven’t needed even Tylenol for the past three days. ICE packs are my best friend when I get ahead of myself and do too much around the house. Two days of clear liquids taught me the real meaning of “to sip” very quickly. Hiccoughs are mild for me, but definitely a sign of having hit the full mark or drinking too much to fast. On puréed stage now. I’m not as impressed with the ricotta bake as I thought I would be. Puréed Deviled Eggs though…. Amazing! Chili, refried non-fat beans, chicken salad, and chocolate egg-pudding (everything pureed) are also on the menu. Trying to focus on packing as much protein into that two ounces as I can. I had purchased a used vitamix a few years ago. If you can find one or afford a new one, I highly recommend it. Beats my immersion blender by miles. Makes bulk cooking for the week much easier too. SERIOUSLY follow that 10 lb lifting requirement. Really hurts when you don’t. BEST part of the past 10 days is todays weigh in. 219.8 this morning!!! I had come home weighing just over 244. I know most of that is water weight, but oh does it feel good! Especially in the way my clothes fit. Happy travels to full health all! And a very happy new year too!

my clinic's instructions were to wait a year before trying alcohol. This was probably due to healing (early on) and the fact transfer addiction is a common problem. I've read and heard numerous accounts of people who never had a problem with alcohol before surgery who afterward became alcoholic (and since that runs in my family, I'm doubly careful) I didn't have my first drink until I was about three years out. It hits fast and hard. I now drink an occasional glass of wine (maybe once every couple of months), and one glass is about all I can handle. Personally I would be pretty upset if a "friend" tried to talk me into something that medical personnel told me not to.

I didn't drink alcohol at all for 8+ months post surgery. I'm now 12 months out. I do drink wine and spirits now but it hits me very fast and hard. I'd be staggering at two drinks. Also, alcohol wastes calories. I'd rather save them for real food. Another reason to avoid alcohol is "addictive transference" Alcoholism developing after bariatric surgery is a real thing. I'm going to do the "Dry January Challenge". It's New Years Eve tonight, so I'll have my last drink for at least a month.

Hi Laura, sorry for the late reply!! Congrats on your surgery, it’s such a huge step!! I remember that feeling post surgery. I was miserable and regretting it and overall having a really hard time. I promise you. It’s all worth it. It was the best decision I ever made. I’m 4 years out, I’m 6 feet tall and lost 150 pounds. I kept majority of it off this whole time fluctuating maybe 20 pounds here and there. I’m currently pregnant with my first baby and it’s hard watching my body get bigger again but the surgery really helped me to make life changes so I know I’ll be able to get it back to it. As for food, you will struggle, and it’s okay. Honestly 4 years out and me and steak are still not friends, my stomach has a hard time breaking it down. I couldn’t eat eggs for almost 6 months post surgery. It’s seriously trial and error what your body will tolerate. I was super lucky though I could basically eat anything (tiny amounts) 6 months later. It’s eating too fast or too much that would cause this gas build up, constant burps that lead to throwing up and that’s honestly still a thing for me. However only like every other month maybe. Ice cream and cereal and I are major enemies since the surgery always always makes me sick (not a bad thing this way I won’t eat bad things) I didn’t really take meds of any sort. Just my vitamins. But like I said I am one of the rare lucky ones, I haven’t needed vitamins in 2+ years my body is totally normal as is. I got insurance to cover a panniculectomy and my doctor was super nice and even took extra. I’ll try and check my email more if you have any questions! You’ve got this.

I had a VSG through Kaiser, and my partner had theirs through MBC tldr: MBC falls short in care and cleanliness, Kaiser is cheaper but takes 4-5 months. With Kaiser, I took 16 weeks worth of classes, did pre-op tests, EKG etc, waited a couple weeks and then had surgery for about $700. Kaiser is certainly the longer but cheaper pathway. I also think there is a lot of value in getting your head in the right place before surgery, and committing to 4+ months of pre-op does the job. It is annoying and hard to wrap your head around at the beginning but it went by quickly for me, even having to drive 1.5 hours each way to classes. I’m glad I used Kaiser so we have the resources given to me for him to use as well. MBC: Surgery is scheduled 2 weeks out from pre-approval (website form) and deposit, as thats the timeline required for the pre op diet. This is VERY fast and convenient. We paid about $5000. We are all familiar enough with US standards for hospitals, so here is where MBC falls short on that front: - his incisions bled through his gown after surgery, they would not give him a clean gown and told him he should just put on his street clothes. So, he wore a bloody gown for 2 days as the waist band on his sweat pants would’ve been super uncomfortable. - bandages/tape on floor of recovery room from previous patient. - Less than ideal bathroom cleanliness in room - Broken toilet for the entirety of his stay (he requested it to be looked at, at least 6 times before just pleading for it to be turned off at the water so it would stop running so he could sleep. There was urine and vomit in his toilet for his whole stay. Care comparison: Kaiser: I was on a morphine drip and could push the button every 10 minutes if I was experiencing pain. I was given injections for nausea. Lots of room to walk the halls. Attentive nursing staff. It was overall great. MBC: any time he asked for pain or nausea medication the nurse would say “I will check” and leave the room. Then, he’d wait an hour and have to ask again, only to hear the same response. You’re pretty on your own during recovery. He found that this was also the case for the other patients he drove back to San Diego with after surgery. It was not simply a bad experience, but the standard. Technically MBC contracts with the hospital to use their facility, and the nurses do not work for them directly. They have no skin in the MBC game when it comes to patient satisfaction and it shows. We hoped that tipping would help, but it didn’t seem to make a difference. My incisions with Kaiser were glued shut. His were open and we changed the gauze every day. It’s a little scary looking and you’re left wondering, “is this normal? Are these infected?” Kaiser: no drain, no leak test MBC: drain and leak test. Kaiser: you get a full binder of pre and post op instructions with diet guides for life. MBC: all of their instructions are on their website. What you see online before surgery is generally what you get in that regard. It is convenient to google quick answers to things like how many fluid ounces I should be having, etc and accessing the info easily on their website however it is no where near as comprehensive as Kaiser. Feel free to ask me anything, I’m sure there’s more for me to add and I will in comments. If you go with MBC, you should have low expectations and be willing and comfortable advocating for yourself. Ultimately, both work but the cleanliness and lack of care from MBC made me uneasy.

If you are the type to get munchies, I'd avoid it or try to find a strain that doesn't give you the munchies. I typically never get the munchies, so I was only worried about coughing or an edible hitting too fast. I want to say I waited a month out to use my concentrate vape and had a half a gummy two months out. I still worry about the dosage of edibles so I just stick with my vape.

Good morning Sassy, I was just introduced to this website by my now bariatric Dr. I am 12 years out from a full gastric bypass, after having the lap-band originally. I switched to the full bypass five years after having the band because the band slipped and was shutting off my esophagus. For either of those surgeries, my bariatric doctor did not have me do anything different as far as dieting prior to surgery except liquids the day before as well. However, this was a very long time ago...2005 for the band and 2010 for the bypass in CT and the same surgeon. Fast forward to today, actually yesterday I saw my new bariatric doctor because I am going through the procedure for a revision surgery and she has informed me that I will be on full liquids for a week prior to the surgery. I am going in for revision due to complications with GERD and trouble swallowing. Although I have gained some of the weight back - 15lbs of the 132 originally lost, the goal is to alleviate my symptoms of discomfort. So in answer to your question, maybe it is a doctor preference about dieting. I wouldn't be overly concerned. However, being it that you have surgery on the 28th, enjoy the holiday and on the 26th keep it light as far as intake if you think that would ease your mind. Best of luck, Tammi J

I’m three yrs 7 months post surgery. I’m about 3lbs heavier then my lowest weight (2 of which are above from where I initially settled). I eat about 1400 calories a day & don’t really exercise apart from from resistance exercises, sit ups & stretches (wouldn’t burn 30 calories 😁). I am pretty careful with what I eat & there are certain foods I don’t eat or eat very rarely. Some are foods that don’t sit well in my tummy like bread, pasta, rice, quinoa, cous cous & starchy vegetables. Others are things I’ve realised I feel better without like sweet foods. I don’t eat fast food like burgers & rarely eat takeaway like Chinese, Japanese or Thai - only with others & make careful choices. I don’t consider this a diet but just how I eat. Some may think I’m fairly restricted in what I eat but it’s only with certain things & I don’t feel I’m missing out on anything. I still have cravings - salty foods are my challenge - but I understand the why & the when behind them like craving salt after I eat yoghurt (🤷🏻‍♀️). Sometimes I surrender though I’ll have some salted macadamia nuts, a couple of multigrain rice crackers (carefully as they’re a slider food) or roll some cucumber in salt. I changed some of my cooking styles & use have incorporated some alternative ingredients & more if others. Like I use an air fryer or oven more & incorporate more lentils, pearl barley & beans than I did before. I don’t track as such but I do random checks of portions, calories & nutrients. I still keep a close eye on protein, because I have an absorption issue, & on my water intake. I weigh myself a couple of times a week just to keep myself on track & honest. A lot of how you manage your maintenance into the future is a personal thing. My body, how it works & what it needs, is different to yours. My lifestyle will be different. How I want to live my life & the demands on it is likely different too. And you may be more or less active than me. Health, age, etc. are a considerations too. So how I choose to eat may not work for you or for anyone else. Same with the other changes & choices I’ve made. Best advice is to experiment with different eating styles & cooking styles, introduce new foods, reintroduce old favourites, etc. & see how you go. It just need to be sustainable, complementary to your lifestyle & you’re happy & healthy.

I had the normal prep - which at my health clinic means fasting + a bottle of magnesium citrate followed the next day by that gallon (or whatever) of GoLytely.

Yes I did. I had a giant bottle of Miralax and some colase tablets with Gatorade. It was ok, everything worked out literally. There’s a fasting the day before too so there’s not much to wash out. You’ll be fine. I asked about it too and the nurse got very specific about the stool color and consistency. I was fine. It doesn’t hurt to ask the day of…by the way they want it to be just like water, slightly yellow water.

Dude everyday all day long haha. Smoke it, Vape it, concentrates, edibles ect... No issues at all. Only difference is 1 the edibles can hit a bit harder. and 2 like someone already said is the munchies... I try to keep healthy snacks stocked up. Good thing is because our stomachs are smaller you fill up very fast. so say 1 slim jim will satisfy my cravings.

Hello, I just wanted to share my story. I was on a fb group through the weight center that did my surgery on 12/5 but they didn't let me share my story. I went in for my sleeve surgery but shortly after while in recovery my BP dropped really low, I started sweating badly and my skin/eyes turned gray. They gave me a blood transfusion which brought my BP back up. I was brought in for an emergency surgery because I was bleeding out. They said leaked 3 liters of blood and had multiple large dark blood clots in my stomach. I was bleeding and oozing through the staples so they double stitched me and cauterized some of the stomach. Since the 2 surgeries I have had very high pulse, which they call Tachycardia. Also, I am anemic. I also get this uncontrolled diaphram spasm where it makes me gasp for air. The 1st week it hurt to swallow anything, even a sip of water. I started to get pain up my throat so they gave me heartburn meds which helped that matter. I went home after spending a few nights at the hospital but quickly after I was home I went back into the ER for low BP and dehydration. I am home again now, monitoring my BP. I am taking fluids ok and getting my proteins in. I still have to drink slow but I am able to. You can feel/hear every sip go down and every pill go down. I still get times where there is pressure from air stuck under the rib cage and the pain goes up to my shoulder. They just ok'd me to start cream soups, yogurt and cottage cheese 2 days ago. I get full really fast. I just wanted you to know that the 1% they warn you about can happen. It happened to me and I cry myself to sleep about the events that happened every time I close my eyes. It was very scary to go through. They said it will take about 6 weeks for my body to rebuild its own blood back up. Your body rejects some of the transfusion since it isn't your blood. Until then I get weak, dizzy and lightheaded every time I get up to walk around and my pulse goes really high and my heart beats out of my chest. I have a couple of mins to walk or shower and then I need to lay back down to catch my bearings. I am starting to get color back in my lips on occasion. The most important thing is I keep fighting to get up every day, walk a little and drink my fluids in order to get better. They tell you that you need support at home and I live alone so I was worried. They are right, you can't do this alone. After the ER trip it helped to have my parents coming in to remind me to keep drinking and to do things around the house that I couldn't. Thank you for listening. Sent from my SM-N960U using BariatricPal mobile app

I am 2 weeks post op and I got the ok to eat puréed food. So I made scrambled eggs and I chewed and chewed, I think I ate slow, and my tummy feels weird. Not nauseous or pain, just weird. It happened both times I ate eggs yesterday. It’s hard to explain. I cooked 2oz of scrambled eggs and didn’t even eat them all. I don’t know if the feeling is over eating, or eating too fast, or if it’s just not used to food anymore. Has this happened to anyone else. Am I doing something wrong? I don’t want to stretch my ouch or get sick. Idk I might just be paranoid.

YEA! It's like I can't vomit anymore... I thought it was just me but after talking to some people apparently it is normal? I don't get it. Early out a bite of steak made me feel sick and I basically spit it back up and was fine immediately after. Got the "foamies" once.. but actual vomit.. nope. I had a procedure done the other day (not related) but it made me super nauseous and I felt like I needed to vomit. I asked the nurse for a cup from their water fountain because I felt sick. She was like well heres a bag because a cup isn't going to do anything. But it's actually all I need because my "vomit" is just gagging and spitting up some phlegm... it is so weird! My wife explained it as well your stomach is so small and things pass through so fast there is just nothing to vomit up.. which makes sense but it is still very strange to me.