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My plan permitted caffeine from day 1 and I would have really struggled without it, but they're all so different! It's not caused any issues for me. I had my first alcohol almost 6 weeks post op because it was xmas and I would have felt SO deprived without a glass of fizz - but I cleared that with my dietician first. I'm 5.5 months out now and have some alcohol every weekend but I know it's totally empty calories and must be slowing my weight loss to some extent - that's a hit I am willing to take. With regard to your favourites, they honestly mightn't be your favourites any more! I was a complete chocoholic before I had my sleeve, but honestly (really honestly) I would really rather have a chicken salad these days. How times change, and long may it last. But yes, as everyone else says, within a short time most people can eat most things again, just in smaller quantities. In the meantime, sit back, get your protein in, and enjoy watching that weight fall off. It's absolutely magical.

I had a rough ride early on and can honestly say that I could not go back to a desk job till 8 weeks. However I am only one of a tiny percentage who dont do well for a while after surgery.

I took 3 weeks off and I was glad I did - the pain really disturbed my sleep for a couple of weeks and even in the third week I was still really fatigued, and spending all day trying to reach my fluid intake goal! I could have gone back after 2 weeks but I think it would have been really pushing it for me to go back after one.

I found lemon ginger tea to be very comforting in the week or so after coming home. It also made a tasty chaser for the nasty liquid meds.

I was back to work in a week more or less. I will say that the first 2-3 weeks I was REALLY tired and an afternoon nap was very helpful.

Wow - What a week I've just had! Due to COVID, we haven't had our yearly work conference with customers since 2019. I've been with my company for 20+ years (and overweight the majority of that time) and haven't seen most of our customers post surgery. This past week was the first one and the reactions I had from co-workers (we work remotely so I haven't seen many of them since 2019 either) and customers was fantastic! I had folks who didn't recognize me at first and others who were just amazed at the transformation. I haven't been shy about how I lost the weight. Hell, I'll tell anyone how and why. I'd like to see the stigma of it gone. I waited so many years because intially I also believed I simply needed will-power to lose weight and keep it off. Like most of us here, I'd lost weight and gained it back plus some for a good part of my life. I tried everything and yup, I was still fat. This week I had several folks who were overweight ask me REAL questions about the surgery and life afterwards. It felt great to be able to explain the pros and cons of it all. I used what I've learned from both my experiences and this site (THANK YOU ALL!) to explain what it's like and how it affects you. Here are some of my thoughts and talking points: If you're an emotional eater, stress eater, or triggered eater, then this may not be the right answer for you. You definitely have to get that under control BEFORE surgery, Of 3 people that had surgery at about the same time, 2 of us have been successful (all sleevers). Another has only lost ~50 lbs. He simply wasn't ready for the changes and has managed to out eat the sleeve with junk food. If you're a social eater (that's ME) who has problems with primarily with portion control, you'll probably be more successful. You have to be prepared mentally for the changes (see bullet point 1). It's a roller coaster. The first few months are overwhelming. Hormones are out of control, you find you can do things you haven't done in ages as the weight loss, people are commenting, and sometimes you feel like your life will never be the same again. Many of us CAN eat anything we want after we heal- Just in smaller portions You will always need to be aware of this and try to make smart choices. I try to be smart about it. If I know I'm going to be tempted by junk food, I try and eat some heavy protein (chicken, beef, fish) FIRST so I really don't have any room left over for the temptation. Other times I just say F-it and eat the chips, crackers, dips, etc. I don't make it a habit, nor do I feel guilty when I do. You CAN out eat the sleeve. Yep, I drink. Sometimes to excess. Most of the time I don't. It's a social thing and I enjoy it. If I were doing to escape, I'd be worried. I get on the scale often. As in daily if I have it with me. This keeps me in check. If I don't, I find myself being far less conscience of what I'm eating or drinking. I know me, and if I don't I'll simply convince myself that the dryer must of shrunk my clothes! I have a 5lb threshold that I adhere to. If I get near that, I go back to tracking immediately so I can't lie to myself. If you're mentally and physically prepared for the restrictions and the lifestyle changes then this really can be the "easy way out" (I am fully aware that for many it is NOT easy so please don't take offense if you're stuggling). I'm one of the lucky ones. This surgery is life-changing in so many ways and I'll stress again, you need to be mentally prepared for those changes. If you're married or in a relationship, be prepared for how this affects your significant other (mine has been very supportive). Be prepared to take a good hard look at yourself and what you want out of this. People treat you differently - even ones you've known forever. I did this 100% for me. Frankly, a lot of it was for vanity and comfort. I was tired of being uncomfortable on a plane and not being able to experience things that had weight limits. I wanted to wear clothes that didn't come from Omar's tent factory. I find myself to be more confident and outgoing. This can be a shock to those around you. People may feel that you've changed (you HAVE). Be aware if you're becoming toxic and critical. Surgery is the right thing for some people, and the wrong thing for others. Don't be judgemental.

Ok, breathe. It’s ok. It’s only been four days since a pretty major surgery. You’ve had 80+/-% of your tummy removed. There are lots of staples & sutures holding your tummy together. You have been inflated with gas & had your insides pushed, prodded & pulled. You’re supposed to be in pain. Give yourself time to heal. The gas pain, surgical pain & muscular pain will reduce. Some people find improvement after 3 or 4 days while others a week. We’re all different. Even our ability to tolerate pain is different & that’s ok too. Contact your employer & see if you can negotiate a delay to your return to work or maybe a staged part time return if you think you will need it. Again we’re all different & you may need longer to recover. A friend was back after a week no problem Another needed three weeks. Me, I needed four weeks & still only returned to work part time. (My blood pressure was very low & my energy levels were zip.) You’d know if you had a leak. They’re pretty rare these days. Symptoms to look for include: Dizziness Fever Shortness of breath or fast breathing - more than 18 breaths a minute Fast heart rate - higher than 120 beats per minute Worsening abdominal pain Chest pain shoulder pain (not from the gas escaping) A general feeling of illness and anxiety Be kind to yourself & your body. You’ve been through a lot.

I read if you have a desk job (I do) then you only need a week off. If you have a more physical job, then 2-4 weeks might be necessary. I'm taking a week off (saved up my pto days).

Regrets are common with specially in the first few weeks when you’re on the restricted staged eating plan & so limited in what yo can eat & drink & when. In time you will be able to eat & drink a lot of your old favourites but likely not as frequently and not in the same portion sizes. Or you may eat healthier versions of them. You’ll also discover new favourites too. But that will be your choice & how it fits in with you being able to maintain your weight. Caffeine is harsh especially on your healing tummy to begin which is why we’re advised to avoid it. After it just depends on if you can tolerate it or not. I sipped a gin & tonic a couple of months after surgery. I went from drinking a very large glass of wine or two every night to only having a single drink may be once a month. Initially my taste buds changed & I didn’t like the taste. Now, it ‘s my choice but I don’t look for it & don’t miss it. The only thing with beer may be the carbonation - some struggle with bubbles in any drink. Almost three years out & I still consider portion sizes & calories. I don’t measure & weigh every day. I do random checks of things I eat regularly but check every new food or recipe I eat. I’ve worked out cheat checks of portion sizes fir when I’m eating out - compare to my palm, a fist, finger length etc. I check portion size recommendations & read nutrition panels. I make most of my own food so I know exactly what I’m eating. It’s easy to get complacent & over estimate hence my checks. I know if I let this slide I’ll end up making bad food choices, eating more than I need & be back where I started.

Teh vitamin thing is difficult isn’t it! My surgeon prescribed some enormous non chewable ones, well I can just about take them now and I’m nearly 3 weeks out. I got some vit c powder lemon flavoured powder that can be dissolved into water, some chewable vit d and some B12 drops, I’ve got some gummies (I had them from before) that the dietician said don’t bother with because they have a bit of sugar in and low levels of vits, but I figured they were better than nothing that first awful week. Second week I had some chewables that tasted gross (I’ve still got them sitting on the kitchen bench!!) and now I’ve just about transitioned to swallowing a whole tablet. So….al in all…I probably didn’t have quite enough to start with but I kind of got there eventually! The first week is tough and a bit miserable tbh, but for me, it got better really quickly. I’m 2 days off 3 weeks now and feel relatively normal.

Welcome. It’s ok to feel scared & nervous. It’s surgery. Food likely is something you depend upon as an emotional support & that is going to change & you will be changing what & how you eat. Things like how much pain you will experience after surgery is very individual. You may have a lot of gas pain or nine at all (I didn’t after my sleeve) but there are things you can do to help the gas escape your body. You may experience surgical pain for a couple of days or a week but again you’ll have access to pain meds to help. You may have muscular discomfort & struggle to get up & down for a little while or you may have very little at all. Pre surgical diets differ a lot too. Some are two weeks, some are just a couple of days. Some are all shakes. Others 2 meals shakes & 1 meal protein & vegetables. Mine was keto so … (I have done shake diets before & for a couple of months at a time.) The first challenge to the pre surgical diet is the psychological loss of the crunch & chew comfort of solid food. This can increase your head hunger & cause a lot of emotional turmoil. The second is the withdrawal symptoms (headaches, nausea, tiredness, etc.) from cutting out caffeine & sugar. This usually lasts less than a week. These things are small & are only a couple of weeks in duration. Nothing when you consider the big picture of your whole life & your health. The surgery is an opportunity to makes big changes but you have to be psychologically & emotionally ready. Don’t be afraid to seek support from a therapist (one who specialises in bariatric patients & disordered eating are best). A lot of people have found therapy extremely helpful. Yes, you are on a low calorie restricted diet & eating small portions to begin. Initially it is to support your healing. Then to make you look at the nutritional benefits of what you eat but within a few months you’ll be eating more & a greater variety of food. By maintenance you’ll be eating the portion sizes we all should be eating (not those giant plates two & three times more than what we actually need & lead to our obesity). And you’ll be consuming only the calories your body needs to function effectively & maintain your weight. You’ll discover your relationship with food will change. I still enjoy eating & the taste & texture of food but I see it as something my body needs to function & not as something to comfort & soothe me emotionally - because I’m bored, sad, happy, angry, etc. I’m not continuously thinking about what & when I’ll eat next. It’s that maxim of eating to live not living to eat. All the best.

Hi there! I am here to assure you as well that it is normal from what you’re describing. It was very painful. I too had the same pain. I had to rest. Take my painkillers and sleep. Our body restores when we sleep. I was crying in pain from it. But if went away within a week. I used a hot pad to help and it helped a lot as well as with the gas. Your going back to work fairly soon but I know we all don’t have the luxury of staying out for weeks. Definitely take it easy and listen to your body. You may run out of energy soon after you start your work day that is also normal. I pray you feel better soon.

I didn’t use a recliner or binder either. Was sleeping in my usual slightly twisted side position almost from the beginning & had no trouble getting up & down. Your recovery is very individual. You may have lots of gas pain or no gas pain. You may experience surgical pain for a couple of days or a week. You may get around easily or experience muscular discomfort. You may have days of diarrhoea or be constipated. Make sure you have your post surgical over the counter meds at home ready before you go to hospital. Imodium, gasX, pain meds (not NSAIDS), anti nausea meds, electrolyte drink, etc. Some surgeons give you your scripts for your other meds (PPI, opioid pain meds, anti nausea meds, …) before your surgery others after. Throw in an extra set of underwear & sleepwear just in case you stay in for an extra day. It’s often nicer to be in your own sleepwear. Disposable underwear can be handy too in case you do experience diarrhoea (it can happen unexpectedly & be messy!). Have a couple of different brands & flavours of protein shakes, broths & cream soups. After surgery, some things, temporarily, just taste awful. Get in some green or herbal tea. I found warm drinks very soothing to sip. All the best with your surgery & recovery.

I was daunted by doing 2 weeks of the the liquid diet. I wondered how I would manage it. Now that I am 6 days into it I have to say it is not that bad. It is exciting to eat new vegies for me. ( My eating habits have not been the best for years). Nice to have shakes and soups and bars. Nice new Lemon Creme Dessert. From the Optifast Program. I also thought other things might be and issue but they really haven't eventuated. Yes I am hungry but this is okay when you keep yourself busy. The headaches can be dealt with by pain meds and the nausea for me is helped by ondansetron. My original doubt has been replaced by - Yes, I can do this. I will be okay. It is going well.

I had surgery on April 18th. I have had caffeine without issue. Tho they do say give it a few weeks. The reason is caffine causes dehydration. But yea you need to heal up. Trust me i had regrets too after surgery. Missing all my favorite foods. Realizing that food was a great joy in my life, Going out with friends, Going to get the newest thing to arrive at Taco Bell or Pizza hut lol. Eventually i hope to be able to eat some of the stuff again. Like say mcdonalds.. No i wont be able to eat a double quarter pounder anymore. But i hope a happy meal lol. Just have to learn to eat very slow. 30 minutes per meal minimum, wait to drink water a half hour after eating. As for beer. I would be waiting a while before that. but you can have alcohol again but it will be very different. You will end up getting drunk off of just a couple drinks. So you may not be able to enjoy a long night of drinking.

I had my surgery on 4/26. I've been doing ok. But today I have been wanting to eat something. It's like I want to feel food when chewing 🤷🏼‍♀️ Does this ease up. I'm only on liquids right now. I start protein drinks next week.

I would ask the surgeon if they have a nausea Med that will work but if not maybe the neurologist would consider the other medication if you need it just for a week or so.

That's what worries me. I'm already having a hard time with my pills with just shakes, so if I'm to do this another 2 weeks, I don't know what shape I'll be in when I'm allowed to finally have mush. Also, I have 1 medication that has nothing that can be substituted for it (Tecfidera for my MS. It's the strongest oral med there is for it, so I can't take any of the others, and the injections and IV infusions are too strong for me since I'm stable on the Tecfidera and my neurologist won't put me on anything stronger than this as long as my MS doesn't dictate a need for it). So that's why I'm so concerned. My stomach is nauseaus and actually hurts and feels like it's burning (not heartburt because it's not traveling up). I tried stuff to settle my stomach (pepto, Mylanta) and nothing has helped.

Hello sleeve to Sadis. It’s been a while… I did a lot of yo-yoing 2-3 lbs. finally I stopped with my dietician's advice + phentermine and working out 3-4x a week;I’m down a Little over 40 lbs. I know that’s not saying a lot but it doesn’t have to be fast… I just need to see the scale consistently move. I think i wasted my time with the balance diet and probably would have seen better results on 30g CHO or less off top…. but im not complaining. p

Wow, you lost 44 pounds in 8 weeks! I’ve only lost 7.6 pounds since my surgery two weeks ago. I can’t even imagine losing that much so fast. How often were you exercising? What type of exercise? P.S. Sorry about your injury. Fingers crossed for quick healing.

I cook often in an iron pan. It helps boost the iron content. It can go right into the broiler or oven. I take vitamin C like the others said too. Raisins have a high iron content if you’re looking to add a little extra here and there. A couple times a week, who am I kidding, weekends only, I remember to throw in some spinach/ham in an omelette and eat it with 4oz of V8. Kapow!

So funny! My husband actually asked me this last week. I hadn’t thought about it until he asked, but it’s a legitimately relevant question.

You can do this! I didn't have a liquid diet; just low carb/low fat/high protein. But even if you do have a liquid diet before surgery, it's just a week or so, and then it's done! The first few days when you are getting over the sugar addiction are the hardest I hear. I had some gas the first day or so after surgery, but it wasn't a big deal. I had a fair amount of pain and took three pain pills total over three days. For reference, I took 4 pain pills in ONE day after some dental surgery. Don't let these things scare you; in the grand scheme of life, they're over in the blink of an eye!

Do y’all get in ruts with food? I’ve had the same thing for lunch every day for a week. Still enjoying it though! Deli turkey wrap made with a carb balance tortilla, turkey, light cream cheese, and a sprinkle of everything but the bagel seasoning.

This, this, this. I needed the cane for about a week, mostly for going from sitting to standing. It's really nice to have something sturdy to push off of. Go to Walgreens and get an extra sturdy cane. I also needed to sleep in the recliner for about 3 months after surgery. I am a stomach sleeper, so it wasn't until I was completely healed that sleeping felt comfortable. A comfortable recliner was a necessity. For most other things, play it by ear. You don't want to stock up too much on foods because a lot of people experience a change in their taste buds after surgery, so you don't want to have a fridge full of protein shakes that you hate.