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So far it has been ok I guess. The surgery was “text book” according to the Dr. I had no pain after and I started back to the gym for treadmill and low weight machines on week 3. I followed the plan. The last two weeks since I started soft foods has been hard. I’m 5 weeks out today. I am down 28 pounds since surgery. HW - 412 SW - 362 CW - 334 I have hit a stall. No loss in a week. I have had a couple of “slips” but nothing I can’t come back from. I unfortunately am not as restricted as I thought I would be. I was able to eat a whole filet of fish sandwich with no problem. Why I ate it is because I am still an emotional eater unfortunately. The good thing is I could only eat the one and now the huge chunk of food I use to. hopefully as the weather gets better I can be out more but I need to work on my “out of the house” food plans. I got my little cooler I just have to work on the best stuff to put in it. I can’t wait to go back to fishing !! here is my picture about one year a part. A total of 75 pounds difference

My surgery is in two days so I'm thinking WAY down the road but I'm curious - does anybody use a healthy meal delivery service like Hello Fresh, Hungryroot, etc? I'm a single mom of two with a demanding job and I wonder if it might make sense to use a service like this (eventually) to take the pressure off meal prep once or twice a week. In your opinion, are any of these services bariatric-friendly, specifically the keto plans?

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.

Can’t believe your surgeon didn’t tell you about stalls especially when you said you hadn’t lost in a week or so. That in itself would make me question anything else they tell or don’t tell you. We all lose more quickly in the first couple of weeks, then the stall hits & no loss & things even out. So while 12 pounds seems a lot in 1.5 weeks, 12lbs in 4 or so weeks is fine - averaging about 3 lbs a week. 1200 calories at a month out does sound a huge & impossible goal to reach. I wasn’t eating 300 calories in the first couple of weeks. I barely reached 900 at 6 months & was another year until I got to around 1300. But we are different & have different needs & our teams have us on different plans & expectations. Ultimately it comes down to only being able to do what you can physically do. You ‘re meeting or close to meeting your protein goal. You’re meeting or close to meeting any other macro & fluid goals?. Are you introducing new protein sources, vegetables, etc. into your eating plan as you’re required? I’d say you’re doing okay. But, that’s my opinion. Your dietician/nutritionalist should be available to discuss your options & concerns whenever you need so ask for (demand ) an appointment. Can you get in any earlier to see the nurse practitioner? If not stick to what you’re doing & as I said you can only do the best you can do. All the best.

I am 6 months post op and I’ve been experiencing uncomfortable pains in my left upper area by where my pouch would be. It’s been a dull ache cramp and when I eat or drink it gets worse. I’ve noticed I’ve been gassy as well and can feel the gas being trapped as it moves through me. I have IBS and noticed these symptoms late last week and have read IBS can either be made worse or better by this surgery. They have improved but they are still there. Could this be a probiotic issue? Has anyone experienced these pains?

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 only had to do 2 weeks of keto - I had mine in Mexico. My insurance denied me. They required BMI and THREE co-morbs 😩

You’ll find your rhythm, it might take a while but you’ll begin to understand what works for you and what doesn’t. When I first started working out I was doing 2 hours of cardio a day. When I knew better I cut it to 50 minutes a day and lost more fat that way. I would train glutes twice a week if I could but I get too sore because I don’t eat adequately to recover and for them to grow hence the once a week. If you can train glutes twice a week and rest well between the sessions (say beginning of the week and end) and eat well then go for it, nobody minds a juicy perky booty lol. Shoulders are not large muscles so I would limit it to 3 exercises a week (shoulder press, upright rows, lateral raises) and 2 bis and tris exercises as these are smaller muscles. I didn’t meet my protein goals for over 4 months post op. At 6 months I upped my calories to 800 and at 7.5 months (now) I’m averaging around 1000 calories a day, give or take. I have some fierce restriction so my portions are very small but I eat frequently (every 1.5-2 hours when I’m not busy or distracted). On weekends I forget to eat and can go 6 hours between meals but on weekdays I try to stay consistent and eat every 1.5-2 hours. It’s very unlikely that you’ve messed up your sleeve, you’re losing weight and keeping active so it sounds you’re doing it just right. You might be surprised to find out that you might need to eat much more (1800-2000 calories) to maintain your weight! My brother was sleeved 3 years ago and to maintain his weight (mind you he’s really slim) he’s eating around 3000 calories and he’s not active lol. Not saying you should jump to 1800 calories overnight but maybe gradually start increasing your calories until you hit the sweet spot and your weight stabilizes. Track everything and keep a food journal and note down your weight changes (loss, gain, maintenance). Remember you are very active and you WILL feel more hungry than someone who isn’t. Your body is new to weightlifting and is trying to build muscle, and building muscle requires a lot of calories. At 4 months post op I started serious weight training again and I was able to up my calorie intake when I was failing prior to that, I am just much hungrier working out than when I am not. At 3 months post op I was barely getting in 200 calories a day. Don’t doubt yourself, you’ve done amazing!

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!

Stalls are perfectly normal & are an important part of your weight loss as the others have said. The first one usually begins around week 3but can be before or after this time like yours. They generally last 1-3 weeks & again they can last longer or even only for fewer days. The numbers are based on averages & so just give you an idea what might happen when. Yes they are frustrating but it’s best to let them ride out. The stall will break when your body is ready to move forward again. Don’t stress it out by making more changes other than those required by your plan so stick to it. Reduce how often you’re on the scales & try taking body measurements. Many notice that while the scale doesn’t move, their clothing fits differently. Also, if you would like more precise information about portion sizes, macros, etc, ask for them from your dietician. It’s about feeling comfortable & confident about what you’re doing, For example did they say when you should be up to a cup of food? I was told 6 months for a cup but that was what I was told for me.

Thank you for validating what I was feeling on the treadmill. I was trying to watch tv which was not directly in front of me too because it’s angled from the corner of the room but the treadmill was too close to it (kinda hard to explain) anyways, it did hurt my stomach worse so I had to quit. Also, mine can’t really go 2.0 mph. Anything less than 3.0 and it sputters…..is that the right word? I thought maybe it was my weight because I remember I was close to the high weight for it last time before I had surgery but that would make it 250 and I’m 228 now and it worked then at 335. In any case it’s really hard to keep my balance when that’s going on so I upped the speed and that didn’t hurt at first but caught up to me. I just don’t understand the bar that you cannot reach, lol, that thing makes no sense to me as I’m wishing I had something to grab and keep my balance. Awesome job sticking to just your protein and nothing more at the hospital. Especially when bored and worried about him and probably tired and all the things that would make us want to eat before all of this. Congratulations on getting cleared for soft foods. I started mine yesterday and it was so nice to be able to chew something. On that website that was suggested the fitness coach said she told her patients to do two bites of protein and one of veggie and I sorta stuck to that. I still obviously have to supplement with shakes that way but I would anyways so I figured it’s good for me to get into that habit. Hopefully my team will agree that is a good strategy. I’m not sure how early you get up but my time varies so I set alarms beginning at 9AM for my vitamins. I have been getting up at 8 and that works great I drink my protein shake and take my multi vitamin and stool softener by 9. Then the three calcium’s are 12, 3 and 6. Then at 9 I take my magnesium and stool softener. Basically every 3 hours I take something. I also added reminders in the Baritastic App so I can check it off each time which helps me to not question if I just turned off the alarm or if I actually took it. I’m really hoping they don’t add anything else or I will have to wake up in the middle of the night to take vitamins 😆 Congratulations on your non scale victory. I’m sure that others can see your 30 pound loss. It’s sometimes difficult for us to see in the mirror. It’s called body dysmorphia. People chat about it all the time in here who have lost 100 pounds and don’t see it. Three things that may help are side by side photos, taking measurements and if you look on Amazon they have a replica of one or five pounds of fat. You can visualize SIX of them big five pounders and see that IS ALOT!! it’s great that you are evaluating your hungry feeling to see if they are from the actual need for nutrition. When the hunger came back for me post sleeve that’s when things started to go wrong for me. I started giving into those feelings and I hadn’t changed my diet enough so the larger portions and more frequent meals and snacks added up quicker than if it was healthy foods. That’s why this time every healthy meal I make and actually like is a huge win for me as something to put into my Arsenal for when I am feeling hunger again. it sounds like you are really starting to get back into your groove. I’m so glad to hear it. Keep allowing yourself to take them little naps if you need them. It takes a while to get back to 100%’ from any major surgery. Never mind on the reduced calories we are taking in.

Every surgery is super scary and nobody is dumb enough to be without the jitters. We are handing ourselves over to others and we don't know who they are or what their track records may be. However in real life this surgery is one of the safest going. The surgeons and their staff are accountable to the government bodies who oversee them. Only you will know if you are ready to do this. More people than you know have bolted BUT they all said they wished they had toughed it out. It is worth it. Try and get through this week

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!

Ooof. I am exhausted. I'm one week into the pre-op diet and anything and everything that I do makes me super tired and weak. Walk tot he bathroom - exhausted. Walk from car to office - weak and exhausted and out of breath. I know it's the very low calorie diet (VLCD) that I'm on and my body getting used to the changes, but DANG this is crazy! Has anyone else experienced this on their pre-op diet or am I having extra issues because I'm a binge eater?

Three weeks from today I should be checked into the hotel with my mom and trying to get a good night's sleep before surgery! Crossing my fingers there are no further delays. The hospital is only an hour away, which would normally not be a big deal, but rush hour traffic is bad and I'm not sure how early I'll need to be there in the morning, so we decided to go the night before. My mom wanted to be able to stay and visit into the evening but doesn't like night driving, so she felt better about being in a hotel the night I'm in the hospital. Luckily, there's a Courtyard Marriott about 5 minutes from the hospital. Sadly, no hot tub

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!

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.

Maybe you don’t burn more just sitting there or if your heart rate was the same inside and out but I’m just saying that mine is higher doing what seems to be the same exercise (walking at 2.5mph on flat ground) outside vs inside so that burns more calories. Not sure why but supposedly the Apple Watch heart rate thing is like 99% accurate for lower intensity exercise and I have Ike two weeks of data that show it’s higher when I’m outside. I guess it’s possible I’m missing something but it sure seems like it is the case for me 🤷🏼‍♀️

I love your posts so much, I really do!!! OH, I meant to tell you... so my godfather is married to the most amazing woman (family friends since before I was born, they are my "aunt" and "uncle" and I love them so much) and she is from the UK. I have tried for YEARS to follow along with what she says, and it's a 50/50 crap shoot if I actually understand what she's saying. SO anyway, I was talking to her over the weekend and I actually was able to follow along with more of what she was saying. She was surprised and asked if I was using Rosetta Stone or something to learn British slang (she's always busting my chops until I start speaking Southern to her, then it's crickets lol) and I told her about you and showed her some of our past chats and she said to tell you "bloody hell, you did the impossible! Cheers, mate!!" 🙄😁🤣 Now back to the topics at hand lol I'm so so happy for you that you're rediscovering your wardrobe!!! It's so fun to be surprised with smaller sizes, isn't it?? I know what you mean about the "bitter wife syndrome" lol My husband, over the last 2 years, has lost 65 pounds. How? Oh, walking to the lake and back with me twice a week, riding the exercise bike 1-2x per week, eating absolute GARBAGE but just less often, parking at the back of the parking lot when he goes to the store 1-2x per week, cutting out sugar, reducing salt intake.....that's it. That's LITERALLY it. He's gone down 2 clothing sizes and gotten off his diabetes and blood pressure meds.....just by doing that little bit. No diet changes, no work out routines, nothing. UGH!!!!! I love him, and I'm happy for him, but UGH!!!!!!! Good luck at your dietician appt!!! You sound prepared. I bet it'll go well I have faith that you'll be ready to move on to the next steps for your WLS. I know it's annoying when it takes a long time, but I promise, the wait is absolutely worth it. And you're doing awesome, so I know you'll see some amazing results. YAY for the gym and physio!!! I am just so happy for you and proud of how hard you're working and how far you've already come. Enjoy your show, you've definitely earned it. Have a great week!!!

My first drink was 6 months post op but that was because I was only 6 weeks out of hospital. I had red wine which I love on Christmas Day and the first two sips tasted rancid to me so I couldn't have more. I then had a Baileys later which I sipped and it was bliss. I had another couple of Baileys over the Christmas holidays back home. Since then I have tried red wine again and it has been fine, as have the margaritas, Hugo's

Hi. I am almost 7 months post op. I have lost around 100 lbs. I need to lose 50 more to reach goal weight. My weight loss is at a stall for about 2 weeks. Do y'all count whole carbs or net carbs? I emailed my nutritionist, but haven't heard back from her. I want to know what has worked for my fellow sleevers and other weight loss surgery people. I use My Fitness Pal and it automatically does net carbs. They told me to stay under 50g carbs/day, but I'm wondering if counting net carbs instead of whole is affecting my weight loss. Also, what have y'all done to break a stall? Thanks!!!!!!!

I’d just use a blender too. Believe me, you’ll be praying for the purée stage to be over. It’s like food but not food, the texture & the temporary changes to your taste buds really kick making so much disgusting. It can be a struggle to find something to eat at times. Not worth buying a new appliance to use for two weeks. (Though if you haven’t got a blender they’re always handy to have 😉).

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. 😂

I guess I should add that this is the same surgeon that did my sleeve just 3 years ago and I had a week long liver shrink diet before the two day liquid diet. I’m wondering if it’s different since the sleeve part is already done??

Hi, I had my surgery a little over a month ago and just had two small stuffed squash with beef and a tiny bit of rice. I ate the first one thinking I'll feel the restriction and felt nothing, I went in for the second one and had a couple sips of water (I know I need to wait 30 min) but I feel fine. I think I might be full but I can't really tell. I feel satisfied but I know if I want I can more in and that's not something I want to do. Anyone felt this before. Not too much restriction after the surgery.