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Swimming is what really ramps up my hunger and so far nuts and avocado really help. A pre workout meal is Chobani zero greek yogurt, 2 oz, half ounce walnuts, 6 grapes. I'm almost 4 months post op. I'm still eating 3 oz at a time, 3 meals a day, 1 snack.

Just keep moving, drinking water and eating protein first hand stay off the scale! Your body letting go of the weight is not just physical but mental! Give yourself some grace and be patient with the process! It will move again so stay positive and try to keep the negative thoughts away! I just came off a three week stall where I fluctuated between 3 #s to the point I thought my scale was broken!!

Ii haven’t had my revision yet but for the sleeve I was told about 6 weeks and I could do exercise. For the revision it’s a little more complex so at the skull part group meeting we were talking about fitness and I said that I needed to do core exercises and the PA said that 6 weeks was fine for them too and the surgeon was right there and didn’t correct him so I took that for myself as it means I’m pretty much cleared at that point for most things. I think they do say to wait a bit longer for weight lifting and one girl asked about roller derby 3.5 years ago. But outside full contact stuff and weights it seems to be 6 weeks that we are healed enough to be safe from outside stuff so I would imagine all swelling and stuff would be gone by then for sure.

#1 my lunch salad (romaine, cucumbers, apples, carrots, cheddar, seasoned dried anchovies w/ peanuts, homemade vinaigrette) est 300 cals for the bowl, ate about 1/3 of it, rest got tossed cuz found my cat eating out of it when i left it on the couch, arg and lol. #2 my secondary lunch a couple hours later (sushi/sashimi takeout) est 400 calories for the plate, ate it all except the big maki on the left and the shrimp sushi. the offending cat from the stolen salad mentioned above is in the background of the 'after' picture waiting for me to put the plate down on the couch again hahahaa

Really interesting to read about the “starting weight”. I booked my surgery on January 30th and was 96kg (my highest ever weight - stepping on the scales and seeing I was closer to 100 that to 90 was a real shock - I dug out some insurance papers from February 2020 - I was 58kg then and allready heavier than I like to be). My surgery was 3 weeks later because I had to stop smoking first. The day of surgery I was 91.1kg so I lost 5.9kg in the three weeks prior ( I basically did a broth fast and didn’t eat anything solid, only clear broth and tea and coffee). Im now 70kg so since January 30th I’ve lost 26kg (57lbs) in 16 weeks (average of 1.6kg or 3.6lbs a week) so I’m very very happy with the weight loss even if I’m over the weather! I do have a goal weight which is my pre pandemic weight of 52-55kg (114-122 lbs) because I know that that is the weight at which I function best and that feels the best for my legs ( I mentioned earlier in the thread that I have very minor cerebral palsy - I have the impression that the extra pain I have for every gram I weigh over 55kg just isn’t worth it and really impacts my standard of living and my mobility. Because of the CP I have very minimal flexibility so being even slightly over weight just makes moving so so much harder for me as I can barely bend my knees as it is and have no upwards ankle flexibility what so ever. I’m easily out of balance and I fall over often ( the best way to picture it is to imagine the mobility of someone who has had about 3 beers too many), I’m used to it and my physiotherapist always says I’m a very good « faller », a part from bruises and a bruised ego I’ve only ever seriously broken things ( shoulder, wrist and double arm fracture all in one go!) once since being an adult. But being heavier has meant having more issues getting back up after falling over and more and bigger bruises. So my goal isn’t an esthetic one ( even though it will be nice to not be the fattest person in the room anymore - and because I live in Paris where the average female BMI is 21.3 the bar is low!) but a functional one. So I have 15kg (33lbs) left to loose, I know the rate of loss will slow, but I’m hoping to be at least nearly there in September when I take a new position, I really want to do my transition speech feeling ( and looking) like my old self ( just with some extra wrinkles and grey hair). My handover is September 16th - that leaves 17 weeks so I’m not sure I’ll be at 55kg by then because it would mean continuing to loose an average of 0.9kg ( 1.95lbs) a week which is a lot given my current weight. However if I manage to loose an average of 0.5kg (1.1lbs) per week ( which seems a more attainable bar) I should be 61/62kg by then, and I can live with that! ( I’m an unapologetic numbers girl - I don’t track what I eat because that’s not sustainable for me long term - I try to eat protein but other than that - YOLO - but I do track my weight every day if I have a scale and my steps and my activity) A very long post once again. Thanks all for being here. And here is a picture of a Greek island morning! That’s the 9.30AM light!

I'd personally let it continue. Most of us have a rebound gain after we hit bottom - 10-20 lbs is pretty common, usually during year 3. Some people even gain more. I purposely went below my goal to account for it, and I'm really glad I did, because yep - I put on 20 lbs during year 3 (have put on about 10 more since then, which I am NOT happy about...) and yep - I looked way too skinny at my lowest weight (esp in my face), but my fat shifted around after awhile and I looked much better. Then the gain started...I sure as heck don't look too skinny now!

Good Mornong everyone. I know I have been the one to say trust the process and we are all different and all of that so far but today I need the reassurance. I have been exercising quite a bit. Walking at minimum two extra hours a day and also including yoga now and more movement in general throughout the day. The way I figure it, with the added exercise alone I should be losing like pound a week but last week I lost only 2 pounds and it’s been five days now and I haven’t lost anything so far this week. I have not had ONE thing that was not from the fresh sections of the supermarket other than the occasional brown rice and zero carb wrap. I am tracking every thing that goes into my mouth even my calcium chews which are four carbs and I log and my fiber powder too. I measure and weigh everything I onclide in my calorie count for the day. I am doing exactly what the nurse practitioner says I should be doing but I’m getting scared that if my weight loss has slowed to one and a half or 2 pounds a week already with this level of activity that I’m in trouble. I mean, physically I feel like I could keep this level of exercise up forever but timewise, I don’t know that I can work it in ever day forever. I figured I would get to maintenance and gradually cut it back to maybe yoga or aerobics or one hour of the walking but not necessarily two or three hours every day. I know that I’m at least losing and that’s better than any other diet. That’s what I would tell one of you, but it just feels like I shouldn’t be slowing down this much this soon. I’m wondering if I should maybe decrease my carbs I increase them when the nurse practitioner told me too based on my activity and I was losing more before I did that.

I have a total of 4 weeks preop diet. The first 3 weeks, daily, I could have 2 protein shakes, 2 low cal, low fat, low carb snacks, 3 oz of lean protein, and one cup of non starchy vegetables. Also at least 64 oz water. I lost 22 lbs. this last week I can have 5 protein shakes and at least 64 oz water. I’m on day two of that and I have been very weak, shaky, and sometimes nauseous today. Hoping for a better day tomorrow!

How’s everyone in the July group doing so far? I think I’m 16 days out as of today. My surgery went well and recovery has been quite swift. I’m cleared to swim and do non vigorous exercises. Yay! I loved to swim laps prior to surgery, so I’m pretty thrilled to be back at the pool. It feels so good to move and my mobility has already gotten better! I feel pretty good overall. I have weird days where I’m honestly just angry. Some of that is frustration with eating 1/4 cup meals of food. I just need to work through that and acknowledge my feelings. My journaling pen has also been getting a workout. I’m also a little frustrated with how much physical hunger I feel as well. I’m learning to deal with it and find other things to occupy my time instead of eating or thinking about eating/cooking/etc. I wanted to note here that I spent a lot of time worrying before the surgery about the outcome, or “what if I feel like crap?” Well, the reality is that I felt like crap for about 3-4 days because of gas and fluid. But, then it was over and I felt ok pretty quick. Don’t waste your time dwelling on that stuff. Get your fluids, your walks and your protein. I recommend Unjury chicken soup protein if you’re having problems getting your shakes down. Do what you’re supposed to do and in time you’ll thank yourself for taking care of yourself. Sometimes what gets me through the negative thoughts is that these first few weeks are temporary and meant to retrain your stomach and your brain to make healthy choices. The weeks after surgery WILL pass quickly and you will come out the other side AND BE OK. Use the time to put some healthy routines in your pocket involving self-care, exercise, hydration, walking and protein. I’m excited to see where this journey will take me.

Yep, stalls are a very normal & common part of weight loss. In fact they’re important. Your body shuts down to reassess your needs based on your changing weight & alters digestive hormones, metabolism, etc. The stall will break when your body is ready to move forward again. It will take the time it needs. Don’t stress it more by making more changes to your diet or activity above your plan. They can be frustrating but you really just have to ride it out. Yes, to only waiting 30 minutes before & after eating to drink too. Check with your team about collagen. While it does contain protein it is not a complete protein as it doesn’t include all the necessary amino acids so usually can’t be counted towards your goal. I believe there is a collagen powder which has added the missing amino acids but I can’t recall the brand. Use unflavoured protein powder instead to add to soups, shakes, porridge, etc. All the best.

My program allows both but hesitant about trying about three weeks post op.any experience ?

I thought FMLA was up to the employer, not whomever did your surgery. Or did the surgeon's office have to sign off on something verifying that they expected it would take x-number of weeks to recover (??). It's been several years for me but I don't really remember - but it could be that my clinic had to state that I would require so many weeks to recover. My employer was the entity that granted the FMLA, though. But as far as the rest of your post, yes - I would think it might take more than two weeks to recover from the DS. The surgeon's office probably should have said that you might need up to (however many) weeks... although sleeve2bypass is correct - two weeks seems pretty standard. Although the vast majority of people have sleeve or bypass, which aren't as extensive.

Haha! Mine would change sizes I thought I was going insane! My doctor said it's fine and it's just healing on the inside. I haven't noticed it much the last week or so. Also Hello everyone! I had my surgery august 6th. Looking forward to talking to people with a similar start date!

Thank you all! I've been doing one for breakfast typically as I was under in calorie goal and it had been stalling me. I've actually finally started dropping weight again. I'm typically hitting 1100-1300 now and am doing one protein shake and one to two meals consisting of a protein (steak, chicken, or eggs) and vegetables and sometimes more carbs (1/2 bagel).

Today marks 3 weeks post op for me, I just had soft chicken pho, not with all the noodles and Ive had no issues. Anyone else try Pho or soups with chicken yet?

another day, another (clone-like) salad. this is my first meal of the day (at 3pm) cuz i decided i needed help with my handstand so i went to a "handstand workshop" this AM. everyone was super cool and nice so i ended up hanging out at the studio afterwards and totally lost track of time! anyway got home and realized i actually ran out of leafy greens, so this baby is just chopped carrots, apples and cucumber topped with bacon pieces and an entire burrata ball! (with balsamic glaze and a homemade vinaigrette) 463 calories for the bowl, ate ALL the burrata (yum!), and maybe 2/3 of the rest of the stuff.

I have been using this Moderna scar gel for the past week and you can use it on old and new stars and I’m actually noticing a bit of a difference already. Just thought I’d share. Obviously run it by your team to make sure you’re ready for it and they agree, but my nurse practitioner is the one who recommended it.

Usually depends on how much you need to lose to shrink the liver and make the surgery safe. I did the sleeve 3.5 years ago and I was a little smaller and only had to do a week of this same diet. This time for revision I had two weeks plus two days of clear. But you’re right. I was able to have a meal a day. It’s not much though just 3oz lean meat and a cup of veggies. I have seen some people have to do a full month. I am on day 15 of 16 now. It’s goes faster than you would think.

I’m glad you questioned everything and have finally got your answers from the horses mouth as it were. Just try to maintain an air of zen now for the next couple of weeks!

Interestingly, i just watched a medical program (hosted by the late Dr Michael Mosley) and a top UK gastro consultant said 2hrs is pretty average time frame for your tummy to empty of food. (His patient had delayed emptying - less than half after 3 hrs.)

Hi, friends! I had the traditional duodenal switch on 04/24/2024 with Dr. Joshua Roller in Fayetteville, Arkansas. My surgery experience was fabulous and I have had zero complications following surgery. I haven't even so much as vomited since surgery. I am 5 weeks post-op and feel great! I wanted to let folks know, though, that it is their "company policy" to only provide FMLA/short term disability coverage for 2 weeks. I had done a lot of research on this surgery prior to having it and was expecting 4-6 weeks for recovery. I had previously (in 2019) had a surgery to remove my gallbladder and 2 weeks was so unbelievably inadequate for me to recover. No one asked me about my FMLA or disability paperwork until my group dietician appointment the day before my surgery (as I was an out of state patient from Ohio). The nurse said, "If anyone has FMLA paperwork, we will take it now. We provide 2 weeks off work. Any longer and we need documentation of complications to extend it." Since I was in a group setting, I felt uncomfortable contesting this. I spent a significant amount of time in distress over this, as I wouldn't even be home a full week or on solids for more than a day before they said I should return to work. They would not budge on this policy. Thankfully, my employer allowed me to take 2 extra weeks of leave, but that was a privilege extended to me and my job was not legally protected during those extra two weeks. Additionally, I was not paid at all for those extra 2 weeks because according to Dr. Roller, I only "needed" 2 weeks, not 4 weeks. I am struggling a lot financially post-op because of this, as my short term disability company has a waiting period and I only got paid for a few days of work while being out for 4 total weeks. Roller's office is phenomenal in every other way and like I said, my hospital stay and my surgery itself have been everything I hoped for and then some, BUT I think that this issue is a pretty big one for some folks. I was in no shape to return to work at 2 weeks post-op and genuinely feel that Dr. Roller's office needs get rid of this policy where they paint every patient with the same brush. I am chronically ill in other ways and I should not have needed to have complications from surgery to qualify for more than 2 weeks off from work. This disappointed me greatly.

My kids “mystery box” ‘ed me tonight, so this was dinner- cheesy stuffing waffles (crispy, delicious… recommend), air fryer buttermilk chicken legs, Caesar roasted broccoli, balsamic cucumber and tomato salad. I also used about a tbsp of bbq sauce for my chicken leg Gonna use the leftover waffles for breakfast sandwiches this week Waffles recipe - 1tbsp butter, 1/2 onion finely diced, box of stovetop or similar stuffing mix, 2 eggs, 4oz cheese, vegetable broth to moisten Sautéed onion. In butter until lightly browned. Add a bit of broth to get up any goodness in the bottom of the pan. Pour into bowl with stuffing mix Preheat waffle maker blend eggs with cheese until smooth. Mix into stuffing mix. Add broth until soupy. Don’t worry. After it sits a few minutes it thickens. I think I used 3 cups for 2 boxes. spray waffle maker and scoop in stuffing mix. Used about a cup a waffle. Cook for 6-8 minutes until crispy and delicious.

Hi! I am 51 and having a revision from lap band to RNY on April 3. I’d like to hear from someone my age or older… how did your surgery go? Do you think age makes a difference?