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How are you feeling? I had surgery on the 28th also. I still have gas pain that I can't get rid of. Also I feel pain after swallowing my protein or water. I hope you're feeling better

You definitely have a serious issue, but I don't think it's your weight. Your weight isn't going to kill you, at least not at the size you are right now, but your mental health might. And it certainly is robbing you of the joy in life that you deserve to experience. That's tragic. And unfortunately, surgery or weight loss isn't a cure. Gaining weight can take a toll, both mentally and physically. I understand, because I went from 5'6" and 127 lbs at age 16 to weighing 225 lbs by age 32 and hitting 250 lbs by 49. I tried many diets. I exercised. I worked with a dietician for about 7 years and tried many medications, including Saxenda and Wegovy. I developed high blood pressure and became prediabetic. For 33 years, I gained weight, lost a bit for a while, and kept gaining more. But I also lived a fairly happy life. I got married, bought a house, had two children, started a career I enjoyed, traveled to lots of places I had always wanted to see, learned new hobbies, spent time with friends and loved ones. Was I frustrated that I had to buy clothing in the plus department? Yes. Did I sometimes look in the mirror and feel sad at how I looked? Absolutely. But that wasn't my identity and it didn't dictate what I allowed myself to do or experience. Feeling like your life is destroyed, that life is a cruel joke, and reaching a point where you do not wish to continue living is an extreme and unhealthy reaction to gaining weight. It's a huge red flag that something else is going on with your mental health. That, in my opinion, is way more pressing to take care of right now than reducing the size of your body. I had surgery because I knew it was what I needed for my health. It would clear up physical issues and help me live a longer life with more activity and less pain. I did it because I loved myself and I knew I deserved to get every ounce of joy from life that I could. But a year ago, 80 lbs heavier than now, I loved myself exactly as much as I do today. I don't love myself any more now because I'm thinner, even though I do love how I look. And I love myself now way more than I probably did when I was downright skinny in my youth. There's no magic number on the scale that makes you worth loving. You're worth that at every size, shape, and age. I'm not saying to give up on losing weight or on getting weight loss surgery. If it's important to you, you can find a way. There are some amazing and affordable self-pay surgery options available in Mexico, for example. You could start saving a little bit of money each month now if it feels worth it to you. I hope this won't happen, but if you continue to gain weight, you will eventually qualify for surgery through your health care. In the US, it's at a 35 BMI with comorbidities and at a 40 BMI based on obesity alone. I assume the standards in Canada are similar. But no matter what you do, I would encourage you to find help with your mental health and self-image. You deserve to be happy with who you are and not to have how you feel about yourself be based primarily on something as arbitrary as a number on the scale or the tag inside your jeans.

Officially 8 weeks and 2 days Post-op and honestly I'm pretty comfortable with my progress though a little disappointed with my hydration. The weight loss is steady, protein intake was a little tricky but I think I got it, and keeping up with physical activity has been smooth. Last month's first follow up with the nutritionist did get under my skin, I questioned returning to my previous vitamins vs these nasty Flinstones...and she went on and on about my calcium, iron and protein levels wouldn't be sufficient due to me not eating meat. I explained I had no problem taking additional calcium or iron IF necessary, and finding new ways to add my protein BUT I wanted to see how my bloodwork came back. She finally conceded in saying "well, you're an adult, if you want to take more vitamins that's your choice". I mean OBVIOUSLY it is my choice and her condescending tone is one of the many reasons I've never cared for nutritionist. Nevertheless, guess who's blood work is PERFECT?! In other news, I will say this ketosis stage, while extremely beneficial... it is giving me the "ick" with side effects, smells, body odor etc... I've introduced some carbs hoping things will balance out but it seems to be a slow process. Uranalysis confirmed I'm still burning ketones sooooo there's that. 🤷🏽‍♀️but when will these side effects end ? Speaking of introducing carbs... I had a small bowl (4 oz) of mac and cheese (chickpea pasta)... this is a true trigger food for me, but I ate it, I enjoyed it and I moved on... it wasn't until the next day, I was thinking wow, I really didn't "Want" another bowl... "I'm good". In the head scratching category... I overheard my co-workers having a convo about individuals on the show "My 600lb life"... DISCLAIMER: I say overheard loosely, there's 3 of us in a small room, they were speaking freely as we usually do but I had my earbuds on and wasn't a part of the beginning of the convo. While I can't say I've ever watched a full episode, I am familiar with the premise of the title as well as what "reality shows" really entail when it comes to production and I'm sure I've caught a snippet of an episode on a meme, commercial etc. They also do not know I've had a procedure. I digress, at some point in the convo, they were both giving their opinions on "how could someone let it get so bad"..." when your pants stop fitting..." "when you're out of breath walking from house to mailbox..." etc. and while I have no doubt that they did not have malicious intentions nor have I personally fit into any of these examples... I suddenly became very offended. I even thought to myself have I lost that much weight that this is how "skinny" people speak freely among you ? (The answer is no, regarding me... I've lost a good amount, but they've known me for several years...at my heaviest). I thought, are they thinking I'm really deep into my work and not paying attention ? (The answer is no, we always engage with each other based off of body language to get the others attention and they were engaging). The answer boiled down to, they were just ignorant to the reasons this could happen to someone and the fact that reality tv has a way of making people look and behave at their worse. So I chimed in with "As a fellow big girl..." and explained to them that food addiction is real, and it's real easy to forget that unlike, drugs and alcohol, people have to eat for survival/nutrition and if you are addicted to such it's easy to forget how someone can "let it get so bad", there are also health issues and medication side effects. They were both receptive and admitted that didn't even consider that thought. We went on to talk about the state of "healthy" food choices, labels, vending machines in schools and all. But I definitely walked away from that convo scratching my head because they are both thin and love to eat and not always the "healthy" stuff... so I'm thinking it didn't occur to you others JUST CAN'T do that. Anyways, it was an experience and I'm glad I had it.

Since 2014 I have been gaining weight. I've gained 75 pounds. I was 150 at 5'7 inches tall and at that time I was relatively inactive but ate normally. A decade later I'm 225 and 34 and have not been able to lose. I cut out sugar, I joined a gym and got a dietician three years ago. I have still gained ten pounds per year. I've been tested for PCOS, Cushing's and Thyroid disorders and they have found no evidence. I eat less now than I did ten years ago. I love in Canada and rely on government healthcare. They won't approve me for gastric bypass. They gave me ozempic last year and it was a nightmare and worsened my IBS. I didn't lose weight I gained another 12 pounds on that drug. I'm out of options. This has basically destroyed my life. I haven't dated in ten years. Tried to commit suicide twice three years ago. The weight gain never stops. It's awful. I'm not doing it to myself. I don't over eat. I exercise, I go to the gym, I don't eat sugar and I just butt. It's a cruel joke this life.

Here's my one-week update after making some adjustments! I've been focusing on protein-rich meals and keeping my intake under 1,000 calories, leaving a bit of room for those extra nibbles. My protein has been between 70-100 grams, and guess what, ladies? I lost 2.2 kg this week, bringing my total loss to 16 kg! I'm so thrilled—I feel leaner, lighter, and fresher, with no hunger cues at all (which feels strange, honestly). If all goes well, I’ll be out of the 90s in just two weeks, which feels like a dream come true!

Sure. She was concerned that I was eating too fast when I told her that I was eating my meals within like 5-10 minutes. She said that I can't do that with the surgery because not only will I be miserable with vomiting and diarrhea and nausea and the like but I likely would undo the gastric sleeve surgery. She said I should aim for eating my meals in 20-30 minutes preferably 30-40. This seems like an impossible goal for me especially when I see her again in just 2 weeks. She also wants me to savor each bite and focus on the food or something like that. I don't really understand it to be completely honest with you. Mostly I just wanted to work on eating slower over the next two weeks so that when I do get the surgery I don't get sick and undo the surgery and "pass" with her so I can get the surgery. I can fake my way out of the mindfulness part of it or just tell her that it won't work for me and if it's a crucial part of the surgery than maybe bariatric surgery isn't the right option for me.

Yea. I figure that I go over my protein goal on days by two or three grams so that one random day wont kill me. I try to do a shake or a yogurt but I don’t force myself too much.

Hey everyone! I'm 2.7 years post op. I've maintained about a 140 lb weight loss. I have a lot of loose skin and I honestly feel like I can't fully enjoy my body until I get some of this skin off. The problem is I can't afford it. I spent everything on the surgery (insurance didn't cover) and I'm not making much money right now because I decided to go back to school. I am currently living in Texas. I would love to know how some of you paid for your plastics. Was it hard to make payments? What options are there usually? I'd like to get my belly skin, breasts and arms lifted. I am just looking at arms right now and just that alone is $14000. I just need any ideas or out-of-the-box suggestions. The weight loss surgery and weight loss/maintenance was one thing, but making this next step happen feels impossible sometimes.

Haha, I totally get that feeling! It’s like your body gives you a mini celebration with a quick drop, then goes, "Alright, let's take a break now!" 😂 But it's awesome that you’re seeing a steady loss over time—that’s the real win. And that Baritastic app sounds like a game-changer, especially with the line graph to track trends and measurements! I’ve also found keeping everything in one place super helpful instead of relying on random paper notes. Speaking of tracking, I think I might’ve had one of those "high restriction" days today. I always hear people talking about them, but I hadn’t really experienced one until now. It was so strange—I wasn’t hungry or full, just couldn’t eat much at all. I had breakfast at 11:30 a.m., and by lunch at 4 p.m., I had to force myself a bit. By 7:30 p.m., I couldn’t manage dinner at all, so I ended my day with a quick scoop of protein. Not sure if that’s what others describe, but it was definitely an off day!

As a bypass patient, there is really nothing that's off limits for me. I pretty much eat anything I want to, just in smaller portions. Some people have to be a bit more careful due to dumping syndrome, but I've been pretty lucky in that dumping for me is really rare. It's happened once in 2 years when I significantly overindulged on pretty much pure sugar with no fiber or protein to moderate things, It was not fun and I definitely learned my lesson! One other thing I'll say is that my tastes have changed. For example, I just don't really want much red meat, so I now eat a mostly vegetarian/pescatarian.

Lots of great advice here but I will add my experience with having done this before and just having a revision that exercising and eating clean makes it so much easier. My mood and energy level are so much better this time and head hunger is pretty non existent so far (part of which is a greater metabolic change witb the more aggressive surgery I’m sure but when I don’t exercise as much or I eat processed junk I can feel the difference part of it may also be that I’m just too darn busy to think much about food). For me carbs crave carbs. I learned this after my sleeve but I wasn’t super careful with it. I’m not taking about the better carbs from fruits and veggies, but the processed type. Eating even a smaller portion is a slippery slope for me so I will avoid these as long as I can and if I do have them I know I will have to white knuckle it a few days through the cravings. I make all my food from scratch and freezing food has made it possible to not cook every night. I freeze small portions and I have a note in my phone if what’s on the freezer by date. When I wake up and look at my calendar as I’m drinking my proffee (chilled coffee and protein shake) I decide if I have time to cook and if not I pull a bag out of the freezer and put in the fridge. Then when I get home I put it on the counter or defrost in microwave if necessary time wise and make a veggie to throw it together. A really nutritious and yummy dinner done in 10-15 minutes and bonus, a lot less dishes. I started walking early out and added group classes that are offered at my community center and now i am up every morning walking first thing. I actually put on exercise clothes after my shower and sleep In them and first thing I’m already dressed and ready to go for my walk. ooh and the support groups that my team offers are great in addition to staying very active on here. I actually met a walking buddy there and we walk together down by the river once a week, the day that I don’t have group classes and we cheer each other in in addition to the once a month in person support group meeting. I also chose to tell more people this time. Some were against it but I educated them and now they are starting to come around about it. I think it will be easier fir me to say no thank you to food when everyone around me knows my goals. The first time I did this so many people would say to me you’re doing so good. You can have one slice of pizza or one brownie but the problem was this was my family and I was around them several days a week so just this one became just three or four. I actually told them that when I see pizza or brownies, I already want one bad enough on my own. I don’t need someone else tempting me. I think they got it. We’ll see. I guess if they do it this time.

I’m a while out now (5.5yrs). I was one who never felt hungry. The first time I did was at about 8 months & I honestly took a while to work out what was wrong. I felt restless. Something wasn’t right and it certainly wasn’t anything like what I thought was hunger before. It wasn’t until I reflected back on my day that I realised I’d been busy and hadn’t eaten much. Then it was a couple of months again before I started to feel hunger more often. Because of my lack of hunger I ate to a routine, still do, to ensure I met my protein goals and other nutritional needs. I wasn’t someone who ate to sooth themselves in fact I tended to be the opposite and wouldn’t eat. If you are someone who always has used food as a comfort the first weeks can be a challenge as it’s a stressful time ( physically & mentally). You may be emotional too because of the hormonal flush from the estrogen stored in your fat that is released as you lose weight. Generally if you are craving a specific texture, flavour or food that is head hunger. Check your emotions: are you feeling sad, angry, bored, lost, etc.? Then it’s head hunger. Is your tummy rumbling? Again head hunger & also from excess tummy acid. (You’ll continue to produce the amount of acid you used to need for the volume of food you ate & your larger tummy. You’ll likely be prescribed a PPI to counteract the excess acid but if not ask for a script to help.) Distraction can be very useless at these times. Read, craft, go for a walk, contact a friend or family member, meditate, check this forum, etc. Often a warm drink can be helpful. I also agree with @NeonRaven8919’s advice of finding a therapist. Many find the support & strategies they can offer vey helpful. All the best.

Gastric Balloon placed on Oct 24th. Sleep is the only thing saving me mentally right now. I was so good with my preOp diet- and thought I'd be great postOp....nope. Protein shakes- my go to is Protein Premier....and trying Isopure flavored drinks make me feel like barf! Drinking electrolyte water is good, but Gatorade zero is kinda barf to me too. I guess the thickness of those makes it hard on me. So my brain is like, sip some water to get that thickness feeling in my throat away. Mental battle is....I want savory- but bone broth is nasty to me. I want some protein mashed potatoes- so I ordered some from this websites store. Hopefully they are delicious. Headed to my followup tomorrow with my surgeon. Praying I get a clearance for my puree/soft food stage. Pretty excited to see my current weight at 214! I am looking forward to feeling physically up to and not feeling like gaggin' with liquids in my stomach. I look forward to getting back to exercising which will help a lot...especially with my mental health- to get out and feel alive again Whats your suggestions on pureed meat.. I was thinking some of those bariatricpal mash potatoes and puree up some ground turkey with taco seasoning. nom nom...can you tell I'm eggar for the next food stage

I am 8 weeks out from the sleeve and I am losing slower than I would like too. I am not drinking (but sometimes I will take a sip to try my husband’s drink- it keeps me from missing it so much). I think sometimes it’s genetics. I’m on average getting about 1000 calories a day and usually hitting the 60-80g of protein every day. I try to make good choices but it’s frustrating not to be where you want to be. One thing my friend tells me is that me losing weight slowly now validates that I needed the surgery, because of how hard it was for me to lose weight without it and that I never would have been successful without it. I don’t know if that makes sense, but it helps me feel like I made the right choice when I’m struggling with not losing more.

An option not mentioned here is to mix with almond flour, low fat cheese, and egg whites to make seeded crackers. Really good with soups, salads, or dips like hummus.

Lucky kids to be growing up tasting healthier options. I know firsthand that those habits are difficult to change.

I don't think I ate anything that made me sick post op, except for sugar (I am sure it is a form of dumping). At 10+ months post op I eat everything, and by everything I mean I can eat everything and feel fine, my portions are much smaller of course. I eat tacos, burgers, sushi, noodles, pizza and even dessert but in smaller amounts. I eat out 2-3 times a week. Here are some things I follow that help me eat what I feel for in moderation: - I do not drink my calories, other than an oat/almond flat white, all my drinks are calorie free. I do not drink alcohol nor sugary drinks. I drink water, diet soda and coffee and that's about it. - I limit deep fried food, I almost always opt for grilled/air fried/baked. If there's a portion of fries and I really want some, I will have one or two and stop. - I prioritize protein 90% of the time. On weekdays I always start with my protein, then my veggies THEN a tiny bit of carbs if I have space (most of the time there is not much space left). When I'm out for a nice dinner or I've ordered in I will eat my order the way it is and will not pick the protein first, so if I've ordered a burger I will eat it as it, or if it is sushi i will eat that and not worry about protein first, but that is only a couple times a week. - I make tweaks and substitute when taste isn't compromised. I love my big mac tacos but I don't want to be eating 200+ calories from a tortilla, so I substitute that with a mission low carb because I really can't taste the difference, or it's negligible. I also substitute wheat toast for protein toast (still occasionally eat sourdough because I love it and can taste the difference). I also opt for low fat milk/dairy/meats when I can, but I will not substitute cheddar for a low fat version for example because MELTED CHEDDAR 🤤 - I eat carbs in tiny amounts. So if I'm snacking and picked up a cookie, I will eat a bit of it or half at most. If it is a slice of cake I make sure it is tiny or I will eat half the slice, if it's ice cream it is half a scoop. I can't tolerate much of sugar and it makes me ill but I will taste/try. And it has to be WORTH IT. I will not eat something for the sake of eating it, I should really want to try/eat it, and if it ends up not being good, I will not continue eating it. - I workout a lot, I lift, I run, I do Pilates, I cycle and close my steps. I stay active. If you can control your portions and refrain from the "all or nothing mindset" it is very possible to eat what you like and maintain your results, at the end of the day it's calories in vs calories out. Also, my moto is that life is too short to be living miserably (I love food LOL). I will however say that I recommend that you hit maintenance first before exploring with the above. I was VERY strict during weight loss and ate 100% clean.

Also if you're going to put protein powder in porridge, do it after it's cooked. If the protein powder cooks, the taste is just off.

What I've done as well with my porridge is cook it up and then add a scoop or half a scoop of protein powder. (Only on days when I was pretty sure I wouldn't get my protein in pre-op) Porridge with small chunks of apple and then Myprotein Salted caramel tastes really nice.

Thank you for sharing your insights! I completely agree that calories alone don’t tell the whole story, especially when it comes to the quality of food we consume. I also strive to focus on whole foods and keep my intake mostly clean, limiting processed options. Interestingly, I met yet another dietitian today, and she had a completely different perspective than the first one I consulted. It left me feeling frustrated, especially since my next appointment isn’t until May. After some reflection, I decided to take matters into my own hands and stick to a plan that feels right for me. With the help of my trusted ChatGPT, we crafted a fantastic meal plan that emphasizes protein while keeping my calories between 1000-1200. I’m really excited to start this journey, especially since I’m active most days and want to maximize my results. I just wrapped up day one of the revised plan, and I’m optimistic about the changes! They’ve been suggesting I should be losing more weight this early on, so I’m determined to make this work and see the results I’m aiming for. Thanks again

I suppose I'm one of the few people after reading responses to the OP's post who haven't had their past food cravings or the food they love change. I still want pizza, phad Thai and Chinese food etc. No, grilled fish doesn't suddenly appeal to me anymore than it did before surgery, in no way is grilled fish comparable to fish and chips to me. I don't suddenly find a piece of fruit better than a brownie. There are times I'd kill for a roll or a sandwich with actual bread (not keto tree bark full grain bread) and yes I become resentful. I'm being totally honest, healthy alternatives don't taste as good (to me) and trying to change food I love/loved to a "healthier" version just isn't the same and doesn't taste anything close leading me to; 1. A waste of time and energy and cost, cooking/cleaning afterwards 2. Total disappointment and yes anger. I explain this because I found myself becoming upset because I wasn't and haven't experienced the sudden love of healthier food like others here on this forum leading me to be upset with myself. So, I'm being honest about my personal experience. There are some alternatives I have found such as Yasso "ice cream" bars and Wilde chicken chips, but that's about it. Unfortunately, I find myself just not eating opposed to stuffing yet another high protein non tasty food into my mouth. To combat this I stick to a few things I do like (you should know I've had food issues my whole life, in fact I almost died as a child because I'm an extremely picky eater - food texture issues). So, this is on me. I do get the required protein or close by drinking a fairlife protein drink. I say all this because the taste for healthier food doesn't happen for everyone and I don't want you thinking it most definitely will for you then if not wondering what's wrong with you!. I've only experienced dumping one time, but for the most part I can eat what I used too, the difference is I chose not too. Being thin to me is by far better than eating something I love and enjoy. Does it take a lot of joy out of my life? Yes, celebrations/holidays just aren't the same. I'm not trying to depress you, I'm sure you have enough of that as it is, but I am being realistic. You need to determine what your real priorities are; 15 mins of eating enjoyable food or 24/7 of being thinner and healthy? It all comes down to the mentality of it. Having your head straight on what you really want. I truly hope you're one of the lucky ones as all those who've responded thus far and you find healthier alternatives you like or you just don't like your old food loves, but be aware that might not happen and start getting it straight in your head now. Thinner/healthier/longer life/decreased co-morbidities vs. 15 minutes of food enjoyment and weight gain? Lastly, If I really want something I get it, take a few bites and physically walk away from it. I throw it away before I eat more or give it to my husband.. either way I get away from it. It all comes down to choices and what's really important to you. Good luck, you got this, you've haven't gone through all this just to throw away your opportunity for a healthier thinner life. It would be a tragedy for getting a few good tasty bites in. I really hope I haven't burst your bubble after reading others more positive your tastes will change posts, I wanted you to also read there are others who aren't that lucky but still do what's right for a healthier thinner life. Its all getting the mindset down and if all you read was just the your food tastes will change posts and that never happens you'll blame yourself like I did. I hope this helps you. Some may condemn me for my less than positive post, but I've always been a realistic no rainbows flying out my backside type and I would have appreciated both sides of it right after surgery so I knew all possibilities. Lastly, don't condemn yourself if you do cheat occasionally, just up step up and eat right next time!

I am 8 months post op from RNY and what I can tolerate has expanded quite a bit even in just the past few months, after I made it past the 6-month mark especially. You're still healing right now and the next 12 months or so will be very different than the rest of your life that comes after. I love tacos, but instead of filling up on tortilla, I often make a taco salad and just crumble a few tortilla chips on top. Or I order fajitas and eat the meat/veg/cheese but leave the tortilla (or just eat a bite or two if I really want it, which is all I can really manage without getting too full). Ice cream, chips and queso, guac are all fine and I do eat them sometimes as a treat. Try eating guac with carrots when you're okay to have raw veg. It's delicious and very healthy in moderation. Falafel is still a bit filling and too low in protein, but I would take a bite or two. Mac and cheese and pad thai would be pretty low on my list as the noodles are just so heavy. Like, they don't even sound good any more. I do like spaghetti made with spiral zucchini, though. Maybe you could make homemade pad thai using spiral veg instead of the noodles? You could eventually try the Banza chickpea mac and cheese as it's much higher in protein, though right now, I find it's so heavy I don't like it. Over the next several months, you will be able to eat a lot more, both in types and quantity of food. My advice is focus on developing a good routine and keeping your food at 80-90% of the healthy foods like lean protein, veg, and fruit. If you do that, you can indulge in a favorite snack every few days, or maybe one meal a week that isn't so nutritious, or go for ice cream a couple times a month, and it's no big deal. You just can't do it every day. And I suggest not buying anything tempting for your house. I go for a scoop of ice cream at a local farm but I won't keep it in my freezer because I would want it every day.

Well, I will tell you that after my sleeve, there was nothing that I could not tolerate. I’m pretty early out post revision so I haven’t tried many of those foods with the exception of tacos but I haven’t had any issues with anything so far. I make tacos with ground turkey meat, 2% cheese, and just eat the filling or I have it with low-carb tortillas. Surprisingly the turkey meat and the 2% cheese do not taste much different at all by the time you add the seasoning and them little low-carb tortilla aren’t bad either. Sometimes I just do it as a salad too. You may be surprised to find that you don’t crave those same foods, though. The surgery does some metabolic changes and can change the foods that you enjoy. I mean, don’t get me wrong, pizzas still sounds good to me but all of a sudden grilled fish doesn’t sound bad either so it’s a lot easier to make the healthier choice. It really depends on what your purpose is for the surgery. If you’re only goal was to get rid of your Gerd, then you may not care about getting into a super skinny size in which case eating smaller portions of the foods you enjoyed before shouldn’t be an issue at all. But if your goal is also weight loss and you want to be able to maintain a very low BMI, then you’re going to have to make some sacrifices. In which case, my suggestion would be to search the bariatric websites and even the thread on here for recipes and try some things once you get to soft foods and regular foods. You may be surprised at things that you will enjoy. I make turkey meatballs, and I have those with peppers and onions and sauce which are delicious, turkey tacos are good too, chili with lean meat is pretty reasonable macro wise, white chicken chili is a favorite, I made a Mexican skillet that wasn’t bad macro wise you may enjoy if you like Mexican, I sometimes do the zucchini noodles if I want pasta. They are pretty bland and just pick up the flavor of whatever sauce you use and of course you will want to add some protein. I also found a recipe for spring rolls which some people call summer rolls that are so yummy. They’re not the fried ones but still really good. It’s chicken, avocado and veggies with peanut sauce to dip. These are all in the weight loss phase once I get to maintenance I can add things to jazz them up a bit You can also do chicken or cauliflower crust pizza with chicken and veggies so it has more protein Or cauliflower mac & cheese. Lean beef cheeseburger without the bun, a cheeseburger salad or low carb cheeseburger wrap. There are ways to tweak your favorites. Basically anything I am craving. I just type it in Google with the word healthy in front of it and I try some recipes until I find one I like. Some of it is bland but many things are surprisingly good. One that I still want to try is zucchini lasagna. After doing the ricotta bake on purée stage and loving it, my guess it that it’s good I still make the ricotta bake I just add Turkey sausage and veggies. Ooh and quest protein chips are really good once you can do crunchy. Also, they have an “ice cream” maker that you can control the ingredients I have heard some people talking about on here But the short answer is No, unless you have a specific intolerance, allergy or sensitivity you will not have to give up your favorite foods forever. You will just have to make tradeoffs. How often you can have them will be based on what weight you are looking to maintain. If you are willing to exercise, for instance, you will be able to eat more carbs and maintain at a lower weight.

Well I had a revision (no surgery on my stomach) so I won’t even talk about portion. Also, I’m pretty active (2-3 hours of at least walking) so take this with a grain of salt but my calories are around 900-1000, protein is 90 plus, net carbs are 60-70, sugar is usually under 20 but my max is 30, fiber is still too low but around 10-15 with the fiber powder, fat is 20-30, water is about 80, and calcium is usually around 1800 or above. I was told that calories alone don’t mean much at all and carbs and fat depend significantly on what kinds of carbs and fat. Carbs from fruit and veggies are usually fine in our portions and healthy fats like olive oil, avocado and nuts or low fat dairy are okay too but you do have to measure of course and not have them multiple times. It’s when you get into the processed stuff that you have to watch them numbers so much closer. They sneak things in. I have noticed that the low carb stuff is usually really high in fat. My goal is to keep it to Whole Foods as much as I can. So far I have had the occasional low carb wrap, Turkey jerky, yogurt drinks, and quest potato chips in terms of packaged food. Ooh and that burrito wrap I had to seriously budget for. But I mean like twice or three times a month. Your team will have the best info for what’s right for you though. So many things make these numbers different for everyone. Did you ever find an app that you can access to log your food?. It has really helped me. Usually when I sit down to have lunch, I enter my breakfast, my lunch and play around with ideas for dinner and snack and see how that works out in terms of macros. I always have fish and frozen low carb veggies that I can pull out of the freezer if I am too high for the day. I found these burritos that supposedly freeze well I wanted to make but they used a real tortilla. They do not have the big ones in the low-carb version. I looked everywhere but I needed the bigger one and order get enough protein. I wanted to make those four nights in a row but every time I entered them I was going over on something. I finally was able to have them last night but all I had was my morning proffee and five egg whites with pico de gallo for lunch. Then I added a little bit more cheese because I was 2 g low on protein. Anyways, it makes it so much easier to be able to plug these things in and you can delete and try something else if it doesn’t work or add or subtract snacks. The only thing that I do not enter, but I always allow myself to have. I kind of learned on the preop diet was the sugar-free popsicles they’re actually 15 cal I believe but they were free foods on my preop diet and I keep them that way in my mind. It keeps me thinking that I’m never going to be not allowed to have food. Mentally it somehow makes me think that I don’t have to starve. I can always have something.. I actually really enjoyed them the tropical flavor ones on my preop but I haven’t wanted sweets very often since. I have had them a couple of times when I wake up late wanting something though.

Hi all! New to the forum and this site. So, I just had roux en y gastric bypass on Monday, and I'm feeling a bit lost, scared, and anxious. I'm so worried I'll never be able to enjoy some of my favorite foods again. I guess I didn't realize that gastric bypass was so restrictive. My Dr recommend it because I have trouble with heartburn and said this would be a good option. I guess I'm just looking for encouragement - if I know I can have some of my favorite foods at some point down the road, I'd feel a lot better, but everything I look up seems like I can never eat again. Do any of you have experience eating any of the following foods sparingly, or are they gone from my life forever? Tacos, mac and cheese, ice cream, chips and queso or guac, falafel, pad thai? Please know I am aware these are not healthful food choices and my love for these foods got me to where I am today, but can I ever eat them again in any capacity? Thanks for your kindness to this emotionally struggling newbie. I'm scared I made the wrong choice and just reaching out to the void for people who have experienced these panicky feelings. Thanks!