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This week, my doctor has restricted my diet even further (from 1200 calories to 800) to make sure that the liver really shrinks so he said Slimfast Shakes and Weight Watchers soups because it's pre-made whereas the shakes I've been making it might be harder to get the right measurements when I'm cutting calories from what I've been doing for the past 10 weeks. I guess it makes sense. Honestly, those slim fast shakes are the worst. The only one that tastes Ok (and not in that British deprecating way where we say "it's alright" when me mean it's pretty good) is the chocolate one. The rest? How do Strawberry, banana or cookies and cream shakes end up with an almost chicken-y aftertaste? How is this possible? Is this some kind of pact with Satan? Long digression, I know. But it made me dream of food last night. Which I have never done before. I dreamed all my family had gone to all the fast food places and I couldn't eat any but I ended up having a bowl of porridge from KFCs Breakfast menu? Talk about head hunger vs actual hunger!

@LisaCaryl How's your knee? Did you see a doc at the clinic? Re wardrobe, I had a clear out and gave a lot of things to my cleaning lady and have just been going down to my cellar to get old clothes out. I have bought a few new dresses, but I but far too many clothes anyway... I'm a french size 38/40 now and hope to be a 36 by the end of the summer which will allow me to fit into most of my old clothes .... but unfortunately not my fave dress which is a 34.... that still seems like pipe dream right now. My posture is getting better and I have less pain in my legs which is nice. 2 days until I'm back home and can weight myself to see if I've broken my stall.

@pinkneymm@aol.com Another AOL account? Great, have you had it for a long time? I’ve always had mine. Anyway I’m on my 2nd week of pre op diet and having a hard time with it because I don’t know why?? I’ve lost a lb a day so far and my esophageal hernia started really acting up and it hurts to swallow anything. But other than that it’s great to already be losing weight. I can even fit into some clothes that I couldn’t before. My surgery is 10/21…really looking forward to it! Yours is not too far away! Yay!!! Best to you!

Not sure if you the same but for me when I eat carbs I crave carbs. If you are like that don’t do any food funerals immediately before your pro op. It will only make it that much harder. If you have to do food funerals then just do them a week earlier and eat lower carb the week before your pre op diet. It made it tolerable for me when I did my sleeve.

So I am trying to navigate everything with new boobs haha. They are bigger than I thought they would be which is not a bad thing. I am 5 days post op and will be getting my drains out Tuesday. Hopefully. I had an appointment yesterday and he said I’m more swollen than he would like me to be, which being sedentary is so damn hard for me, but I am trying! Anywho I go back to work on Wednesday and I am wondering what you all wore to work? Im not sure if I need to go buy more button ups? Or can I put tshirts on. I have no issues lifting my arms above my head but it’s a no no for a few weeks. I’m in a casual office setting. Usually nice tops and jeans. Also I knowwwww I shouldn’t have stepped on the scale but it’s 10lb up and now im unhealthily nit picking my body. I put on jeans and they were so damn tight. Someone tell me it’s not fat weight 😂

I had several stalls - but they all eventually broke and I kept going until I hit goal (actually, about 10 lbs under) 20 months later. When I tried to lose weight on my own, I'd lose at most about 50 lbs before I'd hit a brick wall and my weight would eventually start heading back up. WLS was the only thing that allowed me to break through those brick walls and lose all of my excess weight (100% of it - although I've gained about 20 lbs of it back over the years). I think it's just a coincidence that you're having a stall at your former "brick wall". Just keep plugging away at it. It does get harder the closer you get to goal, though. Those last 20 or 30 lbs were a bear to get off (and It could be that my new, post op "set point" IS where I am now - but this is way, way lower than any pre-WLS set points).

I'm about 4 weeks post op so I don't have a lot of smaller clothes. I'm trying to go as long as I can without buy new clothes because I don't know what size I will settle at. But I really like these jeans because they are skinny cargo jeans. I might just buy these in 2 different sizes just in case. I also find leggings not being tight annoying. My problem has always been that I'm too short for standard leggings so I would need a size 22 leggings but they would be too long. Now they are baggy and too long. But I've always been able to wear legging a size smaller than jeans or trousers because of the stretch.

Hello! I’m just reaching out to ask if anyone had worsening of their AHI after gastric sleeve. Mine has gone up at least 3 points since surgery and I’m 10 weeks out. My throat is a little soar all the time now too. Has anyone found a good thing to help this? Thank you!

Very happy this week! The London gain of 3.5lbs has gone plus another 6lbs has joined it this week so I’ve hit my 2stones loss target 😊 Hubby has documented this by taking pics and I can definitely see a difference - my backside isn’t as much as a shelf now 😉 I will post pics when I gain more confidence but they are definitely worth doing for your own records, even if you hate and despise your photos being taken. I’m sat here with my feet on a circulation booster, with my feet and calves twitching away. I’ve got it for both me and hubby in the hope that it will help both of us with our circulation and start helping me strengthen my muscles around my knees. We had a chat yesterday and agreed to rejoin our local gym. I know I won’t be able to do cardio like the treadmill etc but I certainly do need to spend some time on the resistance machines and hopefully the free weights. I want to try and get some muscle tone going and avoid masses of sagging skin if I can. I desperately miss going to the gym so I’m definitely looking forward to it. I’m due at physio next week for knee exercises so we’ve said we will begin 1st Sept (helps with keeping monthly finances straight too) Lots of NSVs this week…can now take my wedding/engagement/eternity rings off when in the bath. That certainly hasn’t happened for a long, long time. I’m finding more clothes to wear when ‘shopping in my wardrobe’. I’ve actually had to buy a BELT for my jeans 😮😮😮 I bought 3 pairs in the sales some time ago. 1pair fit fine, 1 I could just about fasten but not breathe, 1 I couldn’t fasten for love nor money. Fast forward to Saturday and it’s now 1 too big, 1 fasten easily and 1 fasten but can’t really breathe!!! Hopefully a belt will let me get some more wear out of them before they go off to the charity shop pile. It’s our wedding anniversary in September and I’ve set myself a target of wearing a dress that I wore for our wedding anniversary dinner 2 years ago. It’s a lovely dress and I felt fantastic when wearing it so hopefully it will fit again. I would like to lose another 10lbs or so before trying it on so fingers crossed 🤞🤞 Hubby knows what I’m aiming for and is all for it. Need to remember to record my food diary next week, ready for the dietitian appointment the week after. I record everything now but not the moods pre- and post- eating which they need. I’ve already recorded a dietitian diary just before I began my weight loss journey so hopefully she will be able to see the differences. Have a fantastic week everyone 🤩 Onwards and Downwards!

He just had me work an elastic band and said to do that but I ended up not doing it. But I can walk probably for 2 minutes or so everyday and increase it to 3 minutes next week. Especially when I have to go to saranac next week for my last followup before my surgery. I kind of want to tell them I've been exercising. I don't have a smartphone my wife has one and brings it to work with her everyday but I have a computer that I can setup reminders on. I go on it every morning so it would work perfectly. If that doesn't work I do have a tablet that I can use for reminders but I'm not on my tablet very much. I mostly just go on my tablet to check my email once every few days. My team will be taking good care of me after my surgery yeah. Even if I choose not to have the surgery they want to keep me in the program because I'm overweight and eligible. But I want the surgery because it should be a good tool for losing weight. Next Wednesday is just around the corner and hopefully I'll get all of my questions and concerns answered. I think even if I'm hungry though as long as I fill up fast I don't think I will eat as much as I am now. My problem is I am NEVER full even if I eat 3k calories in one sitting. It's ridiculous. The surgery should definitely change that.

There's no actual pouch reset, you're correct about that. It's more getting your mind right again. You have to get back to basics, not to retrain your pouch but to retrain yourself how to eat (and not eat) again. A week of stage 1, a week of stage 2, etc is a great way to start over. It's gonna be really rough, not gonna lie, but start tracking everything that goes into your mouth. Everything you eat and drink. how much, how often. Start tracking your calories, carbs, fats, and proteins. Prioritize protein first, then veggies, then healthy fats. Follow the eating and drinking rules. Reach back out to your surgeon's office and your nutritionist, if you can. You still have your tool, you just have to hold yourself accountable and start using it properly again.

Sip, sip, sip is the mantra we all followed. Leave a couple of minutes (set a timer for your phone to help if needed) between each sip and you’ll be okay. Also put a cup by your bed and sip whenever you wake during the night. (I still drink throughout the night.) Just be aware you may have trouble swallowing the first few days because of internal swelling. I found warm/hot drinks more soothing than cool/cold but some are the opposite. You should be sent home with pain meds or a script (opioids) but some find an over the counter non NSAID pain meds are enough. (We all have different levels of pain tolerance.) but generally you’ll find that over the counter, or nothing, are enough for the surgical pain by day 3 or 4. Now surgical gas is another matter. That takes about a week to leave your body. You breath it out (not by burping or passing wind) so do some slow deep breathing. March on the spot. Pump your arms up & down and walk, walk, walk. Little and often are fine. Heat packs can ease the shoulder pain that occurs because the gas rises behind your lungs before being absorbed into your lungs. All the best with your surgery & recovery.

Congratulations on your loss and thank you for sharing your story thus far. I was 258 at my dr when I started my LSD 12 days ago and I was 244 on my home scale this morning with 4 days to go till surgery day although I think my scale is a few pounds below the dr so probably 11 pounds lost. Losing 30 pounds in 7 weeks post surgery is absolutely amazing!! I am so happy for you. I am a revision so I probably won’t be losing anywhere near that quickly after my revision but that’s okay. I didn’t gain it overnight either. As long as it does eventually comes off.. I will be thrilled. Okay, probably impatient at first, but eventually thrilled. I almost forgot about cold food. I am 3.5 years post sleeve so I am able to eat at a fairly normal speed again and I absolutely hated that too. Whenever I was home I would microwave it over and over and over…. And one of my biggest fears are the bathroom ones. My surgeon’s NP says that so far diarrhea bas been the biggest complaint with his SADI patients with one having it so bad that it interferes with work. For all of them they say it resolved at about three months. I am usually near a bathroom and can make sure of it for 3 months but I am really concerned about the smell. I already bought poo pouri 🤣 Getting past just using a public restroom to go number two is going to be a challenge for me. I can count the number of times I have had to do that on one hand I think. Having it be noisy and smelly is going to make it even more mortifying. Hopefully it will be a small price to pay, though. 🤞 I literally just got up and put my measuring tape in the pile I have started for the hospital so I will remember to take measurements the night before surgery. I seen it posted so many times before and never did it. Always wished I had remembered that and to do photos more often. Just like now I’m wishing I had started before the LSD. Thanks for the reminder. There is so much to remember with all of this. Even the second time around it’s an adjustment if you are like me and let old habits slip back. (Please don’t be like me, anyone, so you don’t gain it back) My sleeve portion is already done so they are not doing anything to my stomach. I can already eat a fairly normal sized portion so my issue shouldn’t be with getting food or liquids in a tiny pouch like most of you. It will more likely be that I will want more than my healing anastomosis will be able to handle so I will have to be very disciplined and eat the portions my dr sets for me. I am just hoping that I have some changes in my appetite still because this is gonna be like a really long pre op liquid diet for me that continues on throughout the purée and soft food stages if not. Aka not fun. You are so smart to only weigh once a week. I wasn’t that self disciplined to put the scale away. I did only record it once a week with my sleeve though so I could see the downward trend more easily and looking at that helped quite a bit when I felt like that scale wasn’t budging. Which reminds me I need to start logging my weight again. And such a good reminder not to compare myself to others. That is going to be especially hard as a revision. He did say it should be faster than a bypass revision though. So maybe on a tad slower than the rest of you here. I hope. Thank you again for sharing your experience. I hope to see updates of your continued progress and that the rest of us have as good of a handle on all of this as you seem to at 7 weeks post. Sounds like you are rocking this. Keep it up.

I too am a fast eater, always have been. When I was at my highest weight I would eat so fast that I would get horrible indigestion pain on the right side of my stomach that would last 4 days. I still struggle with this, not nearly as fast as I used to be but I mentally need to remind myself to eat slower. During my first weeks post op I would set a timer for each bite, it took me ages to finish a meal. Nowadays if I'm really hungry I'll eat my first two bites really fast then my restriction reminds me to slow down, I almost always end up eating less that what I need to because of it, and then feel hungry again an hour later.

For me, the pain wasn't bad. I needed liquid Tylenol for the first 3 days, a few times per day (tip: look for the ADULT formula because the child formula tastes horrible and is thicker, like gel). I had one incision that would give twinges for about a week, but it passed quickly. I did not experience gas pain. I found a weighted heating pad on my abdomen at night was very soothing. I was very tired and found it difficult to focus. If possible, don't tax yourself.I walked frequently, but not far. So I was moving around but not logging a huge number of steps. By week 3, I felt relatively normal. By the end of month 2, I was pretty much back to my old self with the bonus of quite a bit more energy, and I could navigate eating in restaurants without too much trouble (I went on a weekend trip out of town at around 8 weeks post op).

Most of the people on here have said it. I do cook most of my food now, hence the name. I think I’m weird because I like to food prep. I weigh myself at least once a week or check how my jeans fit. Then jump back on track (if I’ve wandered) by weighing food, measuring, recording and checking in with my son or a friend to hold myself accountable. I stay in touch with my bariatric group of fellow WLS patients because it’s good positive energy from people working hard to maintain weight loss. I pop on here too, again nice positive energy from folks trying to be supportive and helpful staying healthy!

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend. Thank you all for your messages re my stall! I'm still stalled ... no suprise there. I'm going to try and track what I'm eating this week as I haven't really been tracking at all. Just trying to be sensible and go with the flow. I'm still being very conciencious about everything I put in my mouth and reckon I'm averaging about 1200-1300 calories a day max. I know I could eat more protein but as I eat so little meat its a bit complicated esp when I'm travelling. I hate protein shakes and anything with an artificial taste, I'm really not into processed foods. I do love carbs. I know what I'm eating is far from perfect but I'm also trying to "live" as normally as I can without getting ultra focused on food because 1) I just don't want to 2) I know that it won't be substainable for me to track/only eat specific things/100% certain avoid things long term 3) food is a real source of joy for me as is cooking. Cooking is my way of calming down and disconecting my brain after work but I'm an improvisation whats left on the fridge cook not a planning cook 4) I've very scared of being too "strict" on food and ending up with a transfer addiction as I have a very addition prone personality and I already smoke (cigarettes daily and weed probably 2/3 times a month) and drink (much much less than before the surgery when I was drinking too much) and even though I haven't touched a Benzodiazepine (xanax) in 3 years and 8 months (go me 😌) I had a big enough issue with benzo abuse to have to take a month of work to come off them. I'll try and track properly tomorrow and for a few days but for example today from memory I had ( I also had water) Breakfast : 1/4 bagel with butter, coffee with semi skim milk Mid Morning : 2x Coffee with semi skim milk Lunch : Palm sized bit of omelette with courgette, red peppers, kale, onions, cheese, about two tablespoons grated carrot salad Mid afternoon : Tea with semi skim milk and sweetener, bit of brie cheese about twice the size of my thumb Supper : Palm sized bit of omelette with courgette, red peppers, kale, onions, cheese Herbal tea Before bed : About 4/5 teaspoons of vegan pannacotta (soy milk, sweetener, orange flower water, cornstarch, pistachios, maple syrup) Herbal tea

This is totally normal---but freaks you out just the same because what if it stops, right!?! The first 3 months are normally fastest. But the closer you are to your goal weight, the slower it gets. Each surgery has a bit different loss rate, but if you stay the course, even as you slow down, you will get to goal. If you have hit 50% of your excess weight by 6 months you are doing really well according to most surgeons. I definitely didn't lose 50% in the first 3 months, most people I see lose 50% by month 5 or 6. But it also depends on how much you have to lose and your individual body's pace. Some lose it really rapidly and are at goal by month 7 or 8. Some take 18 months to hit the same goal. My body is a slow poke and likes to have 6 week stalls! So I hit my 50% mark at close to 5 months but have been stalled for a month since and actually regained 6 lbs, lost it, and then just gained 15 lbs in fluid from surgery again. My weight tracking app looks like an absolute mess. LOL Working out can seem to cause stalls and slowing down too, because you are trading fat for muscle and muscle weighs more. Plus the act of working out changes the fluid balance and such in your body, so sometimes you appear to gain some weight when you start working out in earnest, but it'll balance out over time.

I did this too and it seemed to help make the liver shrink diet easier than others described. I think we need to name this week too. 🤣

I had this long stall as well. Just keep doing the plan and just broke through with a 2lb loss.

@MrsFitz Thank you! I was so so nervous as I had failed 4 times in a manual pre-covid, so it was definitely a long time in the making! I shall make sure to get one up asap! Hope you are having a great start to the week!

A friend of mine gets really sick after she eats if she forgets to take her digestive enzymes too. She never got any diagnosis I don’t think she just buys the enzymes online which I personally wouldn’t do but I’m in ALOT of other meds and don’t want them to interfere with other stuff. She also never said it’s about carbs specifically but she is like most of us pre surgery and usually eats pretty carb heavy meals. Those pills make ALL the difference for her. We shop and stop for lunch and if she forgets to take them she gets so sick but if she takes them she is pretty much fine. A little tired for a while but she pushes through to keep shopping 🤣 This is after her typical bacon cheeseburger and fries plus like fried pickle appetizer we sometimes would split so pretty carb heavy. Dr google says there are three enzymes that help with digestion of carbs that you can get In the vitamin or pill whatever you want to call it but it also says to definitely consult a Dr before taking them if you have a history of ulcers, liver or gallbladder issues. i keep adding to this as I find more stuff. Apparently they enzymes work hand in hand with probiotics to keep things working too so ask about them. And ask a brand for the probiotics because I have heard that some of them are worthless and a total waste of money because of the way they are processed. It seems like it had something to do with the temperature but I don’t remember for sure.

So had my VGS surgery on 13th June and have been keeping track of my measurements since about the 3rd of July 2024. Low waist included, as I am male and I wear most of my trousers/jeans low. Waist high is measured above my hips. 3rd July: Chest = 52 inches Neck = 19 inches Waist (high) = 51 inches Waist (low) = 53 inches Thigh = 31 inches Bicep = 18 inches 27 August Chest = 50 inches (-2) Neck = 18 inches (-1) Waist (high) = 47 inches (-4) Waist (low) = 50 inches (-3) Thigh = 28 inches (-3) Bicep = 15.5 inches (-2.5) So in total that's 15.5 inches lost since around 3 weeks after surgery. This has been especially useful given weight loss has slowed to around 2-3 lbs per week, and is a great motivator for me 😊 Anyone else tracking measurements?

My week has been decent, school for the kids is almost starting so that is exciting, I have a son who is going into 7th grade, daughter who is going into 2nd grade and a 2.5 rambunctious crazy toddler boy. So school shopping and haircuts are in our future next week! I finished my last final for my bachelors degree on Saturday so I will be getting that degree soon! Cannot wait!!! Probably the funniest thing that happened this week is that I went to F45 and my pants split right in the booty crack LOL!! So I ended up tucking in my top to continue my workout. I looked so silly but meh! still got a good workout in. My eating is not as strict as I was before but still tracking and maintaining a good caloric input and getting in around 120-150g of protein a day. Need to work on water more. Working on my food relationship and how its okay to have things in moderation is okay and healthy! Lately, I been having some accepting my new body issues, I went from a DD to A bra size and I am just not coping well LOL I officially am no longer wearing a bra because bralettes or pasties is all I need. The skin that is wrinkly and saggy regardless of how much I work out, its a reminder of how long I put my body through physical abuse and how there will always be remnants of it. I did however put a down payment on a surgeon for breast augmentation for Jan. Which I know I know I should wait longer but that will be a year and if I need them redone or fixed I'll pay for it. Plastics and my sleeve surgeon told me to wait the year. I will wait another year or 2 for my tummy tuck or 360 lift. My department lost 3 people within a month, 2 of which were tenured so this stings. My workload just got A WHOLE LOT BIGGER. Its going to be more stressful- so going to work with all my tools and make sure I don't eat my stress away. This week is my *spa week* Today- tanning & Brows, Monday- getting my hair did, Wednesday- Nails, so this is my week of treating myself for all my accomplishments thus far. I figure I should treat myself with something other than food. Anyways I needed this outlet more than I thought. LOL Thanks for reading if you did!

I had a sleeve done years ago and, for me, I would lose in spurts, so maybe this is just a spurt and you will level off for a week or so and *boom* spurt again. But I wouldn't worry until you've had the chance to talk to your bariatric doctors office. Odds are they will be like, "that's great! good job!" 😀