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I found a stock cube in water with some protein powder had a bit of a salty flavouring to it. I am more savoury than sweet for my taste buds so I know how you are feeling. The thing that got me through was knowing I was able to swallow very little of the liquids and it was only for a couple of weeks.

Today marks 1 month since my surgery. Little back history for me, my start weight in March during diet for surgery: 280#. My surgery day: 269#. Today, I'm at 256#. I started and am currently still at at class 3 obesity. Posting before and after pictures. I read and hear so many positive stories on how others lost 30+ pounds their first month. I should be happy with the fact I am losing weight but super slowly. I'm considered a "slow loser" apparently. I'm down 13 pounds in 1 month. I go 5-6 days plateaued same weight before I drop another pound. It's quite annoying. I've been drinking/drinking protein shakes, yogurt, cottage cheese and when I'm not working, I drink between 64-96 oz of water. When I'm working (I work as a warehouse worker and does get to heavy lifting at times), I can hardly down 16 oz of water. When I work, I get excited thinking, "I'm burning so many calories, I'm bound to finally lose that pound!" Just to be disappointed. I weigh daily, I have a separate nutritionist outside of the place I got my surgery as the nutritionist there hasn't helped much, doesn't respond or pay much attention when I try talking to them. So, I found a different one. I tried not weighing in each day, went a week, only to still be disappointed with the same weight. I do occasionally lick unhealthy items or chew and spit out just to get some flavor again. It's not often. Something different about me is I have a lot of muscle naturally. I also have PCOS. I've read PCOS can stall weight loss. I do for sure see changes in my stomach, not so much in my face or my arms...but why can't I be happy about this? Is this like a depression thing others have gone through? I'd love some others opinions, stories, how you're feeling right now.

I thought about that. I just worry I'll start looking too skinny an sickly. That happens if my weight goes too low. Maybe I'll go 2 weeks and then weigh and see what it looks like.

I woke up with pain on my right side. Just felt tired today and uncomfortable. Anyone else experience this?!

Short update: I had my gastric sleeve procedure done in November 2019. I lost around 85 lbs and then stalled eventually regaining around 50 lbs back and a horrible case of GERD. I had never had symptoms of GERD before my surgery and about 3 months later, I had to begin taking omeprezole daily to deal with it. If I forget a dose I can tell by the afternoon. During the first year post surgery, I lost my husband (not unexpectedly but it DID happen 10 days post-op for me), moved across country from Florida to New Mexico, bought a new house and started a new job. My daughter is 1 year post-op and lost approx. 150 ibs on the DS. l just started the process to obtain a revisional surgery. Will be discussing the benefits of either the DS or ByPass. I had the upper GI completed which showed a small hiatal hernia with evidence of GERD. It also showed mild cricopharyngeal hypertrophy. Any suggestions regarding which of the 2 procedures would help with the GERD and to help lose the 130 lbs. that I still need to drop to get to my goal weight?

I definitely agree it’s head hunger 100%. I just needed to taste something and was hoping that the coffee would also help move my bowels. I can technically only have broth, jello, protein pudding and applesauce now along with water/gatorade zero etc. my other concern right now is that I haven’t moved my bowels. I am not too concerned but I got a call from my surgeons team today and they said if I don’t go by tomorrow evening I need to come back to the hospital. This is so frustrating because I feel like I haven’t had anything in my system to make me go, and anesthesia is normally a reason for my body to stall it as well.

I am so glad that there is a community to help with this. I'm slated for VSG surgery on Monday. Not necessarily nervous about the surgery itself, but what could happen after. And while I sit here in this pretty anxious state, I have a question: I've lost 21 pounds on my pre-op diet. Will I lose more after surgery or will I stall? I just feel like I'm going to stall after the surgery, and maybe this isn't a lot to lose pre-op. I'm just worried that I'll be one of the people that won't lose anymore after surgery.

Thanks everyone it has helped. I am having mine done privately in the UK in 2 weeks. Really excited but just trying to get my head around what I should and shouldn’t do. yes they have said I can eat up to 850cal but maximum of 80g carbs each day. good point about having liquid before and then straight into the liquid diet, might eat more food whilst I can 😆

Happy Monday!!! Just walked 4 miles total to our local lake and back and then work on my arms with light weights and resistance bands. I have my 6 week post op appt for my hysterectomy today and then I finally get to go back to work tomorrow!!! So excited. I've been bored out of my mind being home the last 6 weeks lol I can speak to the blood pressure getting a lot lower the more weight we lose. I use to be on blood pressure meds that kind of controlled it, and now my average bp is 105/60 lol So crazy.

I’m considering a balloon and want to see how others have faired. Mostly interested in the middle bit since it seems like most people get better but some still struggle with nausea etc. and nausea is the worst. And I’m a toddler teacher which is impossible to do when you’re not feeling 100% Nw I’ve got two girls. How many weeks/days until folks started to really feel like themselves again. Thanks!

Tonight I went to the required education session that my NHS Trust has as a non-negotiable requirement of being accepted for surgery. I will be honest and say I was left feeling completely underwhelmed with it. There was about 16 of us, all pre-op but at different stages of the required tests etc plus some family members (hubby went with me) There was also a Bariatric nurse, a dietitian and a former patient who had had the bypass in 2022. She explained her journey but it seemed very…I don’t know, sterile? Wrong word I know but I don’t know how else to explain her approach. She’s obviously happy with how it all turned out for her but it all seemed very whitewashed, which I found odd. She only mentioned one case of dumping syndrome but everything else was a walk in the park, which had me internally questioning things. She said she was currently in a months long stall but again, everything was hunky-dory. Someone asked about a typical days eating and it seemed really carb-heavy - toast for breakfast, sandwich for lunch, cheese and crackers for a snack, sausage and chips or mash for dinner etc etc. I asked about what additional protein she had - didn’t/couldn’t answer, asked about exercise - some walking and that’s about it. She mentioned hair loss being an issue but that it all grew back and was great. I know I’m being picky but I honestly wanted a more rounded discussion about of lots of different challenges that we could face with WLS and living the life post-op. I’d say out of the group that was there, maybe 5 had done any wider reading or research. I did find out that the hospitals approach to caffeine post-op is you can have a couple of cups of tea/coffee a day but they would rather patients filled up on foods/drinks that added protein, especially at the beginning. I also found out about the vitamins they give you and that they put the timings on the boxes to aid patients with timings etc, which was useful. Something that was bothering me was if my BMI dipped below 40, would I still be considered for surgery as I don’t have any co-morbidities like diabetes, heart issues etc. I need to get it below 40 before I will be considered for knee surgery, and I’m hoping that will happen end of Oct/beginning of Nov all being well. I was reassured about that, saying that they go off the booking weight reported by the GP when referred initially 🙂 I will be completely honest and say that, apart from some very specific questions I had of my hospital, I actually find this forum of much more use and beneficial to me personally. I have found out so much information from people who are further along in their own WLS journey, plus I know I’ve felt really supported by lots of very lovely and helpful users. There is such a wealth of experience on here that I know that if I have a question, someone will be along to answer it! Roll on the dietitian appointment next week 🤞

Like the above poster stated little fluctuations are completely normal and they can be due to a number of factors (water weight, hormones, a full bowel, etc) . I am two weeks post op from a differnt procedure but I am assuming the post ip diet is quite similar and that happened to me as well. I attributed it to my body coming out of ketosis. The liquids on my diet were all zero sugar and the purée foods did contain some sugar which is a carb. It also could have been because I was constipated from the supplements and not getting any fiber from my diet yet. Either way I went a few days maintaining that gain and then dropped 4’pounds overnight. The advice above to weigh weekly is really good. Monthly would even be better but it’s really hard to do. I had the sleeve 3.5 years ago and what I did was to weight myself daily because I just had to but to record my weight once a week so that I could see a downward trend more easily when I looked back at the log.

OMG I'm so excited for you I teared up when I read your post!! I know how hard it has been and you've been so upbeat about it! I wonder if you were gaining muscle or maybe burning a bit too many calories with the exercise and now that you've slowed down on that your body feels it can let go of some of the weight?? My best friend loses more weight in the winter for some reason. Doesn't matter what she does, it seems to consistently come off better in the winter. Our bodies can be so mysterious sometimes... Whatever the reason is, I'm so happy the scale moved a bit towards your goal!! And I'm really glad you stayed consistent all summer, they say that's the best way to break a stall, even though it is so hard to keep the faith. I bet your body composition has changed a lot over the last 8 months even if the scale wasn't moving for a chunk of that time. Your experience is so encouraging because it shows that sometimes the scale can move months after you've thought it was done for good! You aren't the first person I've seen have a stall that has lasted for months instead of weeks...

Welcome back. Do not worry about jumping in. This is open to anyone. I’m sorry to hear about your COVID and hope it doesn’t derail your surgery BUT being a week post op I can tell you that coughing does hurt quite a bit so if they make you wait that could be why and you may not realize that they are doing you a favor. I hope it all works out one way or another.

My surgery is July 3. I'm on day 8 of my pre-op liquid diet. My entirely proud of how I've been doing it if Im being honest.. 😐but I am tightening up since I'm now less than a week away.

While I have always been an avid exerciser (think everything from running, cycling, weight lifting, marital arts, HIIT, hiking ...etc.) I have always taken up a supplementary form of exercise that is fun and that I looked forward to. A few years ago I played tennis twice a week, then hiking, then taekwondo (reached the blue belt then had a very bad ankle injury that cause a lot of my weight gain), now I do Pilates twice a week in addition to my gym routine and these two sessions are the highlight of my week. Once you find something you enjoy be it tennis, padel, hiking, cycling, swimming or even walking it will be easier to build on that routine and do the things you don't so much enjoy (like weight lifting for example). It is also always good if you have a group you can exercise with (or play certain sports with) or a gym buddy. I also made sure to build a gym studio in my new house and that has been wonderous, I wake up early and workout and don't need to worry about the commute or how to shower and do my hair before work, so a set of dumbbells and a bench at your home can do wonders (if you have that option). I was always asked by friends and family why I am so adamant and a freak about my exercise regimen and if I get bored or sick of it, and my answer is I do it more for my mental wellbeing than for my physical appearance. Nothing comes close to that post workout feeling, it is literal therapy to me. I love to challenge myself and I love to work hard and feel like I've earned it, and I feel sluggish and not great on days I don't workout. Once you commit to a sort of movement daily, it will become a healthy addiction and the feeling that that brings is euphoric, if I say so myself. Just make sure you start easy and build on that.

Thank you for replying -pawsalmighty . Hugs to you. I certainly do want to stop the rot before it takes me back to where I was. I cannot afford to go back. Life is so much harder to live when you feel trapped inside your own body. Even the basics like taking a shower or walking around to do the grocery shop was confronting every single day. Even now, here it is winter. I have never experienced such cold. I need to wear gloves over my hands but I would rather this than sweating on a mild day plas all the other garbage that comes with it. I have stopped focusing of protein and switched to chocolate but I need to do better. I like the fact that I have more strength where before I could only walk part three houses and I was done. My weight has been a life long issue. Richard Simmons passed away recently. I remember working out to his album in the 80's. I played the songs and my body remembered the exercises. I am not new to this game but the struggle continues. I suppose that is a little aside. What do you mean about genetic testing? How does this help to find the right anti depressant? Sounds so much better that the p'doc trying the hit and miss method with medications. Have many people found it to be helpful? I really do need to find a new way to set small goals. Not sure what they are yet. But I am going to see my doctor tomorrow. Hmmmm, Wish me luck.

I thought the same and my doctor told me that for the first few months he would be happier for me to take the pills to be sure until I was through the food phases etc. that I was getting enough vitamins. At times he sounds like a sales rep for the bariatric branded vitamins, which I don't get through him so makes no difference to him, but of course they are about three times the price here of non-bariatric ones. My blood tests so far have all show high vitamin levels (other than K) so now I am just down to one multi vit a day plus calcium & D2, then I add in a cod liver one as I can't eat fish. It's exhausting remembering to take them all on top of a daily reflux pill plus HRT!

It takes more calories to run your body at a higher weight & fewer to run your body at a lower weight. So yes being able to lose at a similar calorie intake at a higher weight but then being unable to lose still eating the same at a lower weight is to be expected. It’s like reaching maintenance. Remember too,1800 calories is 1800 calories regardless if it comes from a burger & fries or three nutrient dense healthy meals. The quality of the food matters for the health benefits & ensuring your body functions most effectively. I’d hammer your surgeon & dietician for help & answers. Maybe GLP 1 meds may be of help or a revision. If my maths is correct, you’ve lost 8 stone in total? That’s great! Don’t forget to celebrate that.

Sorry to hear what you have gone through and are still going through. I know exactly how you feel about wondering if the surgery has been worth it, I wondered the same for many months after mine but I can now say 10 months later that I see the light and know I could not have lost the weight I have done so far without the surgery and I can now finally feel the benefits. I have posted about it before on the forum but a recap to show you how s**t things can go..... I had my surgery 4th July 2023 and suffered severe pancreatitis brought on by the surgery (iatrogenic according to the medical reports) which resulted in me having a drainage tube fitted to my belly area and being hospitalised for one month. Three days after being released I collapsed at home and had to return to hospital via ambulance. There it was discovered that I had a leak in the stomach where the sutures hadn't sealed. I spent a further two weeks in hospital where I had to get clips put in to close the hole/leak. I then lasted 13 days at home before becoming ill again. I went in for a gastroscopy to check on the clips and turned out the clips did not do their job and I had leak back plus two abscesses (1 on stomach, 1 on pancreas). Spent a further three weeks in hospital on a feeding tube before getting all clear to go home after another round of clips were put in and passed their tests. Next time I lasted 15 days at home before having to be readmitted for another month! I never felt fully better but wasn't sure if that was just me recovering from all the trauma or still symptoms. I had a blood test one morning and that afternoon got a call to say I was to come back to the hospital immediately as my CRP was 180. Turned out the hole had opened again and I had an infection. Was put on a feeding tube again for the month and had a drainage tube fitted to my back, had so many different medications, a transfusion, tests etc it was exhausting. I was then sent to a hospital in Belgium to have a tube/coil like thing inserted in my stomach help the hole heal. I was finally released from hospital November 1st 2023. Like you I couldn't do things, I couldn't even stand at the kitchen counter to chop veg without feeling like I was going to collapse. The effort of having a shower and getting dressed some days was too much for me and it took me many months to get to my energy up to more than being able to something small each day. It is really only since mid-February that I can say my energy improved. My weight loss was also slow when in hospital as they were pumping me full of nutrition (via the feeding tubes) but it sped up once I was at home. I had the tube in my stomach removed three weeks ago and had another round of tests to make sure that the hole had healed and I have passed with flying colours. So far so good, no pain or discomfort which is such an improvement. The only thing I suffer with now is a bit of reflux and occasional terrible exhaustion. I was out for dinner on Sunday night and almost collapsed at the table the exhaustion came on so suddenly but I was ok a while later. I don't let it stop me, I have so much more energy than pre-op but I just know I have to pace myself and rest when I can. Basically, I just want to let you know that after all of the above that I have been through I now feel the relief of the surgery and the weight loss. I am now at the weight target the surgeon set for me, 75kg, though I will aim for a bit more and I no longer cry myself to sleep with pain or stress or the fear to make plans for the future. It has taken 10 months for me to get here, I am at the stage now that probably those who have a successful surgery would have been at months ago with their recovery from the op and getting back to a 'normal' life. I am going to see a psychologist through my hospital service for the medical trauma which has helped me as well. Do make sure that you go to the hospital if your symptoms worsen, or don't improve, and ask the doctors to check your levels just to be sure that there is no infection still there etc. Rest when you can, I don't know your situation but if you don't have to get up and go out during the day for work/kids/shopping etc. then don't, just take the time to heal and recover. Also ask for help if and when you need it and also say no to things that you may not want to do if you don't feel up for it - being a control freak these are things I am trying to learn to do.

Did they not put you back on the schedule at all? I would’ve figured they would give you an appointment but then call you if they had a sooner one due to a cancellation. Also, At this point you have been on that diet for 6 weeks, right? I would call and make sure that it’s okay with your doctor that you continue on with that same diet. Some of these diets are only designed to be short term.

18 days post surgery and I'm feeling great. I'm excited to start mushies this week but not as excited as I thought I'd be. This week I added zero fat yogurt, pudding, and creamy soups to the menu, thinking I'd just be snarfing them down. Nope. Anything more than a quarter cup and I start to feel my throat seize. I'm becoming more food apathetic but I'll still add eggs and tuna. Down 40!

Mexican was my first restaurant after DS surgery. I was only twe and a half weeks out. I ate the beef and cheese from a taco and refried beans. I had enough beans left for 3 more meals at home. It was perfect!

Yea they just had to do the wrist on me this morning. Wasn’t pleasant to say the least. I am sorta dreading surgery day when, like you said, I will actually be a little dehydrated because they had a hard time even after me forcing down three extra bottles of water this time. I don’t recall it being an issue for my sleeve. I guess I had someone good. I am starting to think that’s what it all boils down to. Most anyone can get it with good veins but anything a little harder takes someone with more experience. I am starting to develop an anxiety to needles that I never had since this vein issue. I used to be fine as long as I didn’t look at it but now they always ask me if I’m okay. Idk if it’s just because I look in distress or if they just know they are torturing me. 😂

Made refrigerator pickles, dried strawberries, dehydrated bbq zucchini chips, split pea soup, and pikliz (a Haitian pickled slaw) this week. But since I didn’t have lime juice or habanero peppers I used lemon juice and sriracha instead. It’s pretty tasty and I can’t wait to have more with fish stew on Friday. (I’m currently reading a book by a Haitian author and the way she mentions fish stew made my mouth water!) Only ate half the dinner roll but all the soup and half the pikliz.