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I am 6 weeks post op, no problems at all. Feel good and normal energy.

Hi everyone! My surgery is projected to be in the first couple weeks of July (my last pre-op appointment is June 6th, and the coordinator of my bariatric center said the surgery is usually around a month later, barring limited issues with insurance). I currently live in Florida and am considering flying to Pittsburgh the week of Labor Day to attend a football game of my undergrad alma mater with friends and visit family. However, I’m hesitant to book the trip because I don’t know how I’ll feel 6-7 weeks after surgery. I know everyone is different but I would love to hear from you all about your recovery experiences. Would you have been able to fly, stay outside for 3+ hours, be social for a weekend (:D) approximately 2 months out? Thanks in advance!

No restriction , always hungry and haven’t lost any weight for 2 weeks. 13 weeks post op and I’m so fed up. I can eat upto 1200 calories in a day aswell at just over 3 months post op. what is going on? im not eating anything I shouldn’t always have protein first etc any advice ? I’m more depressed now than I was before surgery. My mum eats less than me and she’s not even had surgery

Hello. I am 6 weeks post op and I don't feel restriction either. I just weigh and measure my food and only eat the serving amounts on my list. So far I have been able to eat anything except solid beef. (ground beef is ok)

Hello everyone, I will have my surgery on the 25th of May. I am well prepared I think, the only thing that worries me at the moment is that 2 weeks after my operation I want to attend an important 3 day meeting. I will probably still be in the liquid phase. How do you gallantly get around questions from colleagues? Because you don't take anything at the buffet and you don't drink in the evening either. That's going to be really interesting, because I usually love eating and drinking with my colleagues and I'll probably have to think up some really good excuses. Thanks 😊 Greetings from Europe! Danijela

I know, the inconsistencies with food stages is ridiculous. It actually made me depressed last week when I read how quickly some people get to start eating puréed. I was feeling pretty sorry for myself and spent the entire day in my pajamas, LOL. It’s funny how the dumbest things can make me emotional. I can’t wait for my hormones to level out again.

Hi! I’m a week post gastric sleeve surgery. I am so uncomfortable with the painful gas. I can feel it bubble in my intestines, make noise, and then I get an intense heavy feeling in my sternum. What can I do about it? I got Gas X in pill form and it has not helped in any way, shape or form. I’ve been walking since my surgery day. I force myself to burp all day long. I can’t really pass gas but I sometimes do. Is there anything I can do to help this stop? I didn’t think it’d last so long but I’m miserable! Personally my gas pains are with me pretty much all day. Is this normal?

You can depend upon your rate of weight loss slowing as you get further out & closer to goal. Those heady days of huge losses don’t last. I was one single kilogram (2.2lbs) from my goal at month 5 & it took me an entire month to reach it. It was like a stall. So close so far. You are eating more, closer to what your body needs to maintain your weight so you are not eating in deficit which forces your body to burn fat for energy. If you decrease your caloric intake, you may lose more but at 6 months out focusing on a healthy diet & getting closer to your required nutrients & intake is more important. The other truth is not everyone reaches their goal which is just a number. And those who do, don’t do so to an arbitrary timeline. Many factors totally out of your control affect your rate of loss & the weight you end up at like age, gender, weight loss & gain history & the biggest one: genetics. Can’t change those. Losing 1-2lbs a week is a healthy rate of loss. Celebrate every pound you lose.

I live alone & happily eat the same meal for 3 or 4 days. I don’t have to think about what I’m going to eat on those days. All I have to do is prep a few vegetables or a salad so I’m really only cooking twice a week. The freezer is my friend. I freeze all my leftovers in single serve portions. And I deliberately prep extra so I can freeze meals. If I don’t feel like cooking or eating what’s in the fridge, I have a huge choice of meals I just need to microwave ready in my freezer & add a side. Four minutes & dinner is ready. Quicker than a takeaway. Made chicken & barley soup Monday night. I’ll eat it for a few days & I froze three serves for future meals. No waste & more economical too. I do enjoy cooking though. And I prefer it because I have control over the ingredients & how they’re cooked?

I was working from home at the time so I only took the 2 days I was in the hospital off. Lol, I had my reasons. I was fine to WFH. I’d say a week is enough for a sedentary office job- just no lifting for 30days.

Hello I am new her . I was sleeved April 25th. I am on a clear liquid diet for 2 weeks. would like to know , how much weight did u lose in this stage ! And in stage 2 what is your purée stage like ? Food suggestion thank you 🙏🏼

Hello all! I know everyone’s journey is different and we shouldn’t compare ourselves to others but I’m curious… I am 5 weeks post op. I am able to eat just about anything; chicken, fish, cheese, fruits, cooked vegetables, potato, sugar free yogurt all 3-4 ounces at a time or less. All with the okay from my doctor and nutritionist. I would have guess I should’ve been feeling more discomfort and more restrictions. Did this happen to anyone?

You just reminded me of how good egg salad was (FYI, another soft food that is AH-MA-ZING in the first few weeks of soft foods). Fixed it and YUM! Thank you and enjoy this phase.

You’ve got this! I’m 67, 40 BMI, high blood pressure, obstructive sleep apnea, high cholesterol…I’m sure I’ve forgotten something. 🤦🏻‍♀️ I would love to lose 100 lbs and that is my goal. I didn’t think of this sooner, because I considered bariatric surgery something that 700 lb people did…not 220 lb people. 🤷🏻‍♀️ Who knew? I’m hoping for a surgery date of June 9th or after…I’ll be out of school by then. I see my surgeon for my results visit in 2 weeks. I had a lot of pre-procedure testing. My insurance company should have made a decision by that visit and I can get a surgery date. Today I started the liver shrinking diet per doctors orders. He wants me on it for 2 weeks when I see him so he can gauge my progress. I survived today with only one moment when I thought I would cave. It’s Teacher Appreciation Week and there is food everywhere…but I did fine. Shakes, Greek yogurt, lettuce salad with broiled chicken for dinner. I’ve almost had my 64 Oz of water and I’m under 750 calories. I do well with structure so following these eating plans is good for me. Good luck to you and welcome!

Its interesting to see the differences from surgeon to surgeon because i am 2 weeks from surgery and i am now on soft foods as of today like scrambled eggs, tuna, chicken ect... I had my follow up appointment today too and they were asking how i did with the soft foods.

Hooray, I finally made it to the puréed stage! So many choices that it was hard to decide. I had 1% cottage cheese with two teaspoons of puréed pineapple. My stomach did fine, but my head got a little dizzy towards the end. Probably a blood sugar spike. It was worth it! I’m going to try refried beans (runny) with cheese for dinner. Today is three weeks from my sleeve surgery. I’ve only lost 10 pounds since my surgery, but 29 pounds overall. I can really feel the difference in my legs when we go for a walk and no more body aches. We walked a steep hill in our neighborhood yesterday and I didn’t have to stop to catch my breath. It’s weird because I look the same when I see myself in the mirror, but I feel thinner. I really thought that the weight was going to just “fall off” faster. I have to accept that this journey is going to take a while and I need to be patient.

June 9th is my surgery day, only down play is I have to do a 3 week liquid diet. It could be worse I guess

Did you know that when you go to Publix and they have things that they have packaged you can just go to the counter and ask for them to repack it in a smaller quantity. I just learned this. Not sure if you have a Publix or a store that may be similar but I know that I will save a ton using this option because I always waste when it’s packaged for a family or four or even two since my husband and I usually don’t eat the same things or I eat more than I should trying not to waste things. Both not good options. I especially love it that I can go to the bakery for special occasions and get just one treat because if I have three or four at home let’s face it I’m gonna eat them eventually. Anyways I’m not sure how many of their premade options fit into your calorie budget but if anything does you can buy just one serving.

I wanted a pre med every time I have had surgery. I worry about everything. I never, ever did get one for what ever reason they had. This time I was so ready for the surgery, I almost ran to the theatre. I had a 3 week pre op diet and the end of it couldn't come soon enough. I was fine. I hope you will be too

Ok I'm one post op and I just noticed one of my incisions is bleeding just a tiny little bit. It looked different from the rest. So I touched it with a tissue and there was a tiny bit of blood. Should I be concerned. I have a follow up this week on Thursday. I just didn't want to call the dr and be a worry wart.

Today I am 3 months PO. I did not suppose to eat salads according to my dietician but I had to travel for a couple of weeks and it was not always easy to have access to the food I was asked to have, so, small garden salads were awesome, just added 2 slices of ham or chicken. I had them with Italian dressing or ranch but only a few drops, added bonus was that it has eliminated the constipation completely. I told my dietitian and she was not too happy but she said if it was working to keep going only to be sure to add some protein like shredded almonds, chicken, tuna or turkey ( she said salmon too but I do not like salmon) and to eat the protein first. I cannot stand the pre-made protein shakes, so I make a smoothie with 1/4 banana. one strawberry and 6 blueberries, the last week I have been adding a few spinach leaves and Nopal ( cactus) then I add the protein powder with no flavor. I am loosing weight slower than many others in the February group but I am still loosing.

Have you tried raw baby spinach in a green smoothie? I tolerated that at about six weeks out.

My recovery is great! I had bad acid reflux the first week but it’s all but cleared up now. I’ve received several emails on nutrition since then and reminders, etc. In your case, it won’t matter which of the MGB or RNY bypass you do since you already had the sleeve. The mini can cause more reflux with the remnant stomach backing up into the pouch, but since yours was removed with the sleeve you shouldn’t have that issue. Statistically there’s less risk of complications with the mini outside of that but for either procedure it is very low. My Dr. didn’t tell me he was doing the mini until afterwards. There’s a lot of communication breakdown there but it’s not like they screwed up the surgery or anything. Be very careful with that. The coordinators don’t know anything about the procedures more than we do via google. The renew staff does speak English but they’re a parent co so you won’t necessarily see them 24/7 like you do the nurses. My stomach was partially removed (which makes it a SASI) to decrease ghrelin levels and reduce reflux risk since I already had GERD. They use CER hospital, which is only 7 years old and pretty nice. My bathroom there is nicer than the one back home! One family member/friend is allowed to come with you and stay the night at no charge and if you choose so you get a “suite” which gives an extra space and bed for said friend. The doctors there all speak English well but the nurses speak only a little so google translate helped a lot, lol. Some of the nursing practices are a little dated but I fixed anything that seemed off (I’m an RN). They were very attentive with wound care though I will say. As far as cleanliness goes, it’s the cleanest hospital I’ve ever seen! Sheets, towels, trash, etc are changed daily. I didn’t even use all of my towels bc I didn’t need that many. One week of meds for after surgery is given to you at no charge which is nice. Getting to know the other people in your cohort was the coolest part bc you all go through it together and support each other! I didn’t receive a video/Skype call from the Dr. beforehand but if you request it I’m sure they could do it. All bariatric procedures are done in the afternoons so he’s free in the mornings (cosmetic procedures are done in the AM). 1 night stay at The real inn hotel is part of your charge and it’s really nice and modern. I actually got mine for free bc one of the coordinators wrote down that I was waiving the hotel for the optional $100 reduction when I wasn’t, so they charged me $100 less but ended up comping the room anyway for me (I told you the coordinators don’t know what they’re doing.) I do wish there was better communication before the procedure so if you can get a Skype call with the doctor beforehand that would be great as communication is the main problem there. If you can get Dr. Green (you better book wayy ahead) then go for it bc everyone loves him. He even takes pics of the sleeve patients’ stomachs and gives them a copy, lol. Sometimes I wish I had him! I’m a lower bmi patient like you-my bmi was 31 when I signed up. I was the smallest one there but no one cared. Overall, it’s a good experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat 💗

YEESSSS!! I feel this in my soul! I can't believe how much I miss salad and I am only 6 weeks post-op. I have had some raw veggies and slowly adding my favorites back into my diet to see how my stomach does. Lettuce/spinach etc. is last as apparently it is the hardest to digest. But I CAN NOT WAIT!!

Love that quote: "...remind myself its not a race its not a competition its a life change" Right on! I hit about a 5 week stall in February where I was sure I'd be forever. I went back to rigorously consuming protein only in the morning with no carbs until afternoon, no eating after 7pm and drinking as much water as possible. It evidently triggered my metabolism and I have lost another 12 lbs since then. I still have a very strong restriction, so eating a big meal is off the charts uncomfortable for me. I pray that is always the case because my head still feels like more is better. Cheers to our next year of HEALTH AND WELL BEING!