Search the Community

I'm worried about you. You need more calories. I'm just now getting some of my energy back and I'm up to 500-700 calories a day. I'm 3 weeks, 4 days post op. It's really super hard to get there because there's just no room in my new tummy and my appetite isn't there at all but I make myself eat or drink something. Just a couple of ideas: I have these 4 oz. canning jars (4 oz. all the way up to the rim) that I bought at Walmart and I use those because they are 1/2 cup and that is the maximum my stomach can hold at one time. Depending on what I am eating, sometimes I can eat all of the 1/2 cup ... sometimes only half. You can set a small pot of Water on the stove and stick you jar of food in and heat it up slowly. Or if you can only eat half at one time...you can stick the remaining half back in the water and keep it warm until you're ready for it again. Walmart also has the 2.6 oz. packages of tuna in water. They are very soft and easy to get down. When I put it in my little jar, it goes about 3/4 the way up. Then I take Minute Maid Premium 100% Lemon juice (here's a link: http://www.walmart.c...-Juice/13908197 ) which can be found in the frozen food section and I soak my tuna in it. Then I eat it. I get 18 grams of Protein and around 100 calories. Not many calories but you can add things in your day....like....apple juice, apple sauce, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, potatoe soup, scrambled egg, etc. If you're still having problems with some of the soft foods, try to puree a can of black Beans (drain them first), a can of chicken broth, a little bit of salsa. Then heat up 1/2 cup and put a little sour cream on top. It's really pretty tasty. Another idea is to scramble an egg and add thinly sliced ham lunch meat that you've cut up real tiny. That's very tasty, too. I feel like I eat the same things over and over again and I get tired of it but I know I have to eat to stay healthy. If you find something that doesn't go down good, wait for a week or two before you try it again. Last night, I baked a piece of tilapia fish. Even though it was fairly soft and easy to chew up, it felt like it was getting stuck in my lower esophagus. I walked for 10 minutes last night trying to get comfortable again and thank goodness that worked. So, I'll stay away from it for a while. You could even try some canned chicken with light mayo and melba toast. I haven't tried it yet but that is on my list of things that I can have. I understand about the Protein shakes. I'm soooooooooo sick of them. But you have to find at least one that you can half way stand and just drink it. That's what I do. Believe me, I don't want to but I make myself because I know that if I don't...I will have problems on down the line. I drink Syntha-6 chocolate Milk shake flavor. It has 200 calories when mixed with water and 22 grams protein. I can't remember the carb count off the top of my head but it is low. Sometimes I mix 6 oz. skim milk and one scoop of the protein powder. Then I poor 4 oz. into my 4 oz. canning jar and put the rest in the fridge. After I drink that, I wait about an hour and drink the rest. That gives me a total of 28 grams of protein. Also, keep in mind that your body will only absorb 18-22 grams of protein at any one time. So, it's okay to split up a Protein Drink or even a meal....just make sure you finish them sometime during the day and still get whatever you need in the rest of the day. Do you get up early? Just wondering....if you don't maybe try getting up earlier so you have more time to get in what is required. During the week, I get up at 6:30 a.m. with my husband....even then, I have a hard time getting everything in. This is hard but you have to do what you have to do to stay healthy. I just reread your post...about only being able to take in 1 oz. at a time. Sorry...I went on about 4 oz. You need to call your surgeon. That doesn't sound right. I know that sometimes 2 oz. feels uncomfortable to me depending on what I am eating but I know I can fit in 1/2 cup of food or drink at one time.

I had my band removed on 9-10-12 (thank god) BUT all this time complaining that it didn't work and now it's out I feel like I've lost a major part of my life. For seven years (7 years!!!) I trained myself not to like pizza or subs or Chinese food simply because I just could not tolerate them. Even though I was at a stand still with my band I still wasn't gaining any weight. Well, now that it's out I thought to myself let's try a little piece of pizza annnnd what do you know? HEAVEN! Yeah for about five minutes. Then I was quickly reminded why I shouldn't eat all that crap. Here comes the nausea heartburn indegestion... Dear lord. Had the band out for a little over a week had some fun, now back to reality. Muscle milk shakes and low carb high protein is in store for me now until October 22 when I am finally sleeved!!! And hopefully I can lose an extra 10 by then, crossing my fingers!! My advice is NOT WORTH IT!!! Lol

Hello, Pre op I was 473 pounds (close to 500) at 6'5". Here is what I did pre op (and post op) to help me get through the VSG. Keep in mind that I am not a doctor and therfore you should consult him/her, but here goes. 1. Quit coffee, soda, and fast food. Some people have that last meal mentality and binge on all of their addictions but I felt it was counterproductive. 2. One week prior to my 10 day pre op liquid diet I replaced two of my meals (usually Breakfast and lunch) with a Protein shake. I then had a sensible meal for dinner. Yes it is similar to the slimfast diet but it helped me on my liquid only diet. 3. Do the pre op liquid diet. Every doctor is different on this so follow what your doc says. Mine was a 10 day full liquid diet. Do the diet and do not cheat on the diet. I did not and it felt great to know that I was able to accomplish this. 4. Follow the post op diet to the letter. I am exactly four weeks post op now I still have not eaten anything very solid. The most solid Item I have eaten is a vegetarian chik'n nugget...which by the way is still pretty soft. 5. Exercise. I am not the best at this but I feel I would have even more success if I were more consistent in this area. February 28th Pre surgery consultation = 473 pounds March 16th - start 10 day liquid diet March 19th Pre surgery physical/history = 452 pounds (21 pounds lost) March 26th - day of surgery = 446 pounds (27 pounds lost in less than a month) April 4th - post op check up = 425 pounds (21 pounds lost in the eight days after surgery) April 17th - PCP check up = 420 pounds (53 pounds lost since February 28th) GOOD LUCK!!!

I had a brownie I can’t remember how far out I was maybe 10 weeks I know I didn’t get through all of it and I cramped for ages - what was I thinking??

I hope you get some good news soon. I called after two weeks and ended up finding out I was approved. I cried. I can't tell you how long it took to get approved and how many hoops I had to jump through. It can be so frustrating. I have a friend who had been trying for almost 10 years to get the surgery so I'm thankful it took about 9 months. Keep at it and don't give up!

I was 10 pounds for 6 weeks....when I had my lap band I also had a 5 year old smuggler (who is now a 9 year old smuggler) and our rule was he had to let mommy sit down then he could climb up on my lap but I could not pick him up. He did fine.

Nope. Just trusted my surgeon to do an excellent job. And he did. Easy recovery, not a single complication. Even my PCP is impressed. Just had my 2 year surgiversary and am maintaining 10 pounds under goal with no problems whatsoever....other than needing my gallbladder out 2 months ago. But that's a normal side effect of losing so much weight and my regular insurance covered the surgery.

I was banded on 10/13 and was very lucky not to have any gas pains at all. I got my first fill of 4.5 cc's on 11/18 and am scheduled for my second fill on 12/23. My doc said I will probably get another 1.5 cc's. That will be a total of 6cc's in my 10cc realize band.

SW: 274.4 Surgery Day: 265 CW: 231.2 GW: 159 Surgery Date: May 23, 2019 I am almost 9 weeks post op, and it was the most challenging times in my life. Never think this is a quick fix! I have lost 43.2 lbs, over 15% of my body weight. I feel so much better, but eating is still a daily struggle to change old habits. I finally notice the inches lost and the energy gained, but still have 72 lbs left to lose. Has anyone lost the excess weight and got to a BMI under 25? It seems so far away. Sent from my SM-G960U using BariatricPal mobile app

I had my VSG at Newton Wellesley from Dr Partridge. I had ZERO problems and lost 56 lbs since my10/6 surgery (86 pounds overall since the 8/10 orientation). Before I started my journey, I called a friend who is a highly recognized plastic surgeon in Southern California and he said "get it done in Massachusetts, they have the best surgeons"...

Hey everyone! So as of this morning I reached my first goal to get in the 180’s. I’m super excited but when I did the math it literally took me two weeks to lose 3 lbs. Since surgery I’ve only lost 17bs and I think I may be doing something wrong. To be honest I’ve been drinking red wine in the evenings, like 2 glasses every couple days. I feel guilty but quarantined with my 14 and 10 year old and working from home is getting to me. Would the drinking have that large of an effect? Based on you guys past experience is this average for someone starting with a 38 BMI. Just looking for some encouragement or a swift kick in the butt.

Not asking your income, but to all you self pay folks, make sure you keep all receipts for gas, mileage, hotels, airfare, and procedure, meds etc... to file on your taxes for the year of your surgery. Well as long as your total medical expenses are 7% of your AGI or 10% of your gross if your surgery is next year.

Hi! New to the forum! I was sleeved 10/6 and Everything has been great. But... I have a question for you. I started soft foods today and, for dinner, heated up a Lean Cuisine Meat Loaf and Mashed Potatoes (250 cals/20 grams of protein). I expected to only eat half if it, but I comfortably are the whole thing in 40 mins. NO pain and no ill effects. Is this normal? Too much food? I am concerned. Thanks!!

I am currently going thru the process w/BCBS FEP at the start of the process I had a bmi of 40 (which is lower now), I current have high blood pressure, high cholest, and severe sleep apnea (just diagosed 03/30/09). BCBS FEP will cover 70% of the surgery which means I'll pay the remainder which is 5000.00. It's been a very long process and at times I forgot about it completely but then I get an appt letter. I have no idea what the next step in the process is. my bmi and co-morbs alone should be enough. Havent been hassled by BCBS but this Hospital is giving me hell (Scott&White, Temple TX) time line 6/11/2008 orientation 12/2/2008 initial appt plus finance (BCBS FEP approved) 12/4/2008 psych evaluation (passed) 01/16/2009 (cardio pulmonary exam/refer to sleep study) 03/30/2009 sleep study (sleep apnea confirmed) 04/03/2009: still waiting, no date as of yet, called bariatric coordination who said they are waiting on the sleep lab results. honestley these appts are a nuisance

I would say I am new here but I am actually not, when I had my band placed 2.5 years ago I was a member but I could not remember my username so this is my new profile. Something horrible happened, I was in an auto accident on Nov 01 and I suffered blunt trauma to my chest and abdomin. Immediately after the accident I was vomiting and had pain. Long story short after 6 weeks of dealing with Workmans Comp (I was driving on the job, running an errand) I finally got to see the right doctor and all the correct tests were done and not only did my band slip but I also have a hiatial hernia! I am just waiting on approval for surgery to fix this and I was left with several options with Dr. Joseph Naim... 1. Remove the band (NOT!) 2. Replace the band 3. Gastric Sleeve 4. Gastric Bypass Although the band has been good to me I am afraid of this happening again as this is a very miserable experience. I am leaning toward the sleeve...any thoughts? Dawn

Hi everyone, I'm a newbie who just got sleeves on May 29th. I had my ups and downs but am recovering well. I actuall flew in from Turkey in the Middle East to do the surgery in the US. Well, since all is okay so far, I'm planning to fly back home in a few days. The only issue is that it's over 10 hours in the plane. I'm finishing off my liquid diet phase and will enter my purée phase in a few days. The challenge would be what to eat when I'm on the plane. I'm thinking of packing a protein powder packages. Maybe having a small Gerber baby food jar. Don't know what TSA will let me take with me on board. Any suggestions or experiences would be greatly appreciated.

I was banded on 1-8-10 and I transitioned to soft foods on thursday night... i was starving on the clear liquid diet. I have found that I can eat way more that I expected and am hungry all the time but try to limit myself to every couple of hours. I'm not sure what to think of this. I am trying to make smart choices but have not had any problem with any foods yet... other than eating too fast once... that kinda hurt but only for about 3 minutes. I am hoping it will change when i get a fill. I'll be curious to see hou you progress too. Keep me posted!

Hi, When I came home from the hospital, I was so depressed and thought I would be so excited. We have to remember we are on narcotics. I was on a pain pump until I left the hospital. I woke up the next day and called everyone in my family telling them I was depressed.....never been depressed before. I know for a fact, the medication (narcotics) were depressing me. Also, after being under the anesthetic, it wears your body down. I am only 10 days post-op and the feeling has totally gone and I feel absolutely thrilled I did this and am on my way to a healthy me. What I can tell you.....THIS WILL PASS....JUST HANG IN THERE. The more rest you get, the better you will feel......just remember, the feeling you have right now is defintely going to pass. Narcotics in most people can bring on a depressed feeling. I know you will feel better in a day or so. Lori Ann:) Lori Ann

Hey guys thanks for all the replies. Ceradad...yeah i think we are close in our journey as far as fittness goes. But you have got a lot less to lose than me at this point. No big deal..ill get there. Salsa!!! your insperational too! I am doing a 10 k soon. Hopefully by the end of the summer ill be ready for a half marathon. Right now i have found that 10k is my high limit. I did one on friday morning and i was sore the next day. I pretty much am up to 5miles 3 times a week. which i can do ok. I need one of thise swimmers MP3's cas i get bored swimming laps now. Susan and LuLuc...i love you guys!

To think that a year ago I wouldn't even think about replying to a tri-athelon topic and even consider participating in one is crazy! Here's my story. I used to weigh 290lbs. When I weighed that much I was still -pretty active (if you call slow-pitch softball and rec volleyball active.:wink2: ) Now thanks to my lap-band and losing 80 lbs (I still have quite a bit to go) anyway I have been doing the couch to 5K and I really like it! tonight I ran/walked 3.2 miles in 37.05. OK enough of my rambling. I was searching for some 5k races around my hometown last night and came across a sprint tri. (300m swim, 11 mile bike, 5k run) This event will take place Sept. 6 ( 4 days after I turn 43!) I feel the same way about the swim, I think I would be able to handle the bike and run, it's just I haven't been in a swimming pool actully swimming laps for at least 10 yrs. Does this sound like an achievable goal? Or should I just wait a year? How should I go about training for this? Of couse when I told dh, he just laughed, which makes me want to do this more!:smile: where can I find training guides to help me prepare for a triathelon. Hope I didn't hog too much of your thread.

I'm so disappointed in my sleeve I lost 100 lbs I'm 10 months out I feel I'm not at my goal I must lose 55 more I don't feel my sleeve is working Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I had my surgery 10 days ago. And I still feel pain when walking, unless I support my stomach. The pain is in the largest incision region. It kind of makes me walk hunched over. Other than this pain is minimal. Do others have this pain? I thought the pain would be gone by now.

I disagree with with Dabeyhive and RickM's comments above. Sure, keto isn't for everyone, but it's great for many people. I love the fact that it gives me some firm rules to follow and it happens to fit my eating preferences. First, I don't believe Keto is a fad diet at all. It's been around in various forms since the 1920's and became the basis of the original Atkin's diet in the early 1970's. It works very well both for weight loss and general health benefits. The problem is that some people don't really understand the diet or follow it correctly--and that's where people into problems. Following a proper Keto diet doesn't mean you should be chowing down on cheeseburgers without the bun eating bacon with every meal. While cheeseburgers and bacon are not prohibited on Keto, those aren't recommended either. You should stick to things like organic eggs, lean organic meats and wild caught fatty fish (like sockeye salmon). Stay away from fatty meats, since the fat is bad things the animals consumed are stored. You then add healthy fats to your food, like avocado, MCT oil, extra virgin olive oil, ghee etc. The idea is to "prime the pump", so you body burns off its excess glycogen stores and then converts stored fats into ketones for energy. This is important, especially if you're insulin resistant. For me, I am really happy with Keto and I can definitely stay on keto long term. My surgeon and nutritionist are on board with my keto choices. I just had my blood work done after 2 months on Keto and everything was perfect. I am no longer diabetic (A1C dropped from 6.3 on multiple meds to 5.1 on no meds). My triglycerides dropped to 54 (they were 450 this past summer on meds). My cholesterol is 190, but my good cholestrol is 97 (which is outstanding)--so that's good. Some of these may be from the surgery, but diet and exercise are equally critical. I suggest that you don't do keto on your own, but you do with with the guidance of a doctor or nutritionist that has a lot of knowledge about keto. I personally keep my net carbs down to approximately 20g a day and close to a 1:1 ration of fat to protein. At this point, I am 14 weeks post op (99 days). I am eating between 1200-1600 calories a day. Those calories are made up of 45% protein, 45% fat and 10% carbs. The carbs I am consuming are mostly from vegetables--even green veggies have some carbs. I don't eat any bread, starches, potatoes, sugar etc. I avoid high carb fruit, but I am allowed berries. I avoid processed foods to the greatest extent I can. I also work out daily--at a high intensity (and have been since I had all physical restrictions removed 1 month after surgery). I have lost 70 pounds since my highest weigh in. My pants size has dropped from a 44 to a 32. My body fat has dropped from 28% to 16.5%. Weight loss surgery is only a tool (a good one), but I would say it gives you a head start and helps prepare balance your body's hormones and stomach so people like me (morbidly obese, with a trifecta of co-morbidities) can lose weight like a normal person without insulin resistance/diabetes and other issues that get in the way. Once I had those issues, in check the rest of it was up to me--with keto and serious exercise making the big difference in getting me to where I want to be. I'll let my pictures speak for themselves: The was me on July 4, 2018 (weighing around 255-260) : This is me on the day of Surgery (weight 235): This is me on March 23, 2019 (weighing 190): As a 45 year old man with diabetes etc., no way I could have done this without VSG. However, I really believe Keto and exercise (45 minutes moderate to high intensity cardio 5-6 times a week and 1 hour of high intensity weight training 4-5 times a week) have changed my health and my life. I can't imagine going back to the life I had before surgery, nor could I imagine not living a keto lifestyle at this point.

I am having surgery 10/7/11 and returning to work on 10/17/11. My work takes your vacation when you are off for FMLA . My vacation year goes from sept to sept. I don't want to burn all my time I want to enjoy some vacation next summer in my new body. My Dr had this surgery himself and only took 10 days off also before he was back in the OR.. I can sit quite a bit at work but it is very high stress ( I am a Nursing Supervisor) I think barring any complications I will be fine. I am soooo excited to start this journey!

I had gastric bypass dec 16 ,2015 and surgery great but since been home really been hard water is so hard to get down and very heavy ,so if protein my taste buds have changed so much I hate any artificial auger it gags me I even hate natural sugar everything taste like pure syrup .esting at all is slow and get nausea a lot but weirdest is if I walk or do much after 10 minute sweat so bad could wring me out and I get cold clammy has anyone else felt this .this is more than I expected some days and I'm very emotional .does it get easier ? Good side is I have lost almost 30 lbs at 3 week mark