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I take 2 one a day multivitamin gummies with a separate b-12, calcium/vitamin d chew, and iron around dinner every night. Swallowing any huge pill or capsule is off putting to me. I get my labs drawn every 3-6 months and they’ve always come back fine.

I do not like having my photo taken, but here goes. My surgery was a week ago today. The photo in shorts was 3 days post op. Photo in white pants is one week post op.

You will do great! I am one week post op, and I would not ever have believed that I could feel this great! Best of luck!

Hey Health4longerlife, First thank you for being so transparent about your current and prior struggles. I just had my RNY surgery about a week ago and have gotten so much from reading others posts. I applaud you for making this decision for bariatric surgery, no matter what your "why" is. I feel you have a clear idea of what is going on and what to do but now you just have to take that step. I would advise you to look into therapy. I agree that the cost can be high but the rewards will be immeasurable. I have used https://www.psychologytoday.com/us to find a therapist. They will list their pricing on there as well. Please consider this for yourself. You have already come so far and I know there is so much living left for you to do for you and your loved ones. We are here for you! Therese

Hi, I'm 49 5"3 HW 367 CW 344 Had vsg on 6/7/22 Everything looked good and cleared to go to the gym by surgeon as of today! Yay!

I have found I can drink right before I eat, even seconds before and I am fine, but after eating protein or a meal I need to wait at least 30 minutes, otherwise I will feel pain when trying to wash down chicken or tuna or whatever. So for meals that I am eating soup, I will just eat the soup first and then can have the protein. My bigger issue is snacking on candy, junk. cookies, Its a constant struggle for. I realize my brain and body are not on the same page. My body needs to eat slowly and doesn't care to eat out since I would end up overeating and being in pain. But my mind is still thinking of eating out 3 times a day and in 3 more times and midnight snacks. I never cured my addiction, its tough, I find myself getting much quicker to anger at my wife or kids since i am having this internal struggle. I keep saying I need to see a good therapist or go to OA, get a sponsor and give it a good go. But i say I am too busy or its expensive. As is I am saving more than $1000 a month than before surgery. That is just for my restaurant bills , that I would go out and eat myself like lunch twice a day, like sushi with a friend and then Italian myself.... Its also tough since my energy levels are the same as before. I was always a high energy person. so i feel the same, except when exercising or walking I NOTICE A major difference. . I now weight 236 pounds( 107 kilo) and 6 months ago I was 366 ( 166 kilo) , like not out of breath, I started playing basketball twice a week and can play for 2 hours straight. But i lost that relationship that was my everything ( food) and I knew how addicted I was, I just didn't give a ****. It made me always soo happy. I did not get the bypass for looks or to feel good. I only got it so my wife is not widowed in 10-15 years, I am 35 and she is 31, and I owe it to her and my 4 kids to live another 40 years minimum. pre surgery my blood pressure was 175 /125, way to f**ing high!! Its just freaking hard as hell. Im venting since I need to right now. Im still the same funny as before, I know that and friends and family say it as well. But there is still a huge change. I am eating way to much junk but at the same time I dont even feel like I enjoy it close to as much as I use to, like only 20% as much ( If I could put a number) and that is because I cannot pound it. I used to love eating like 3 burgers in buns in 2-3 minutes, thats the part that felt so amazing when my mouth was stuffed and my belly filled. I cannot look to other areas, I already had a life of drugs from 13-23 , went to rehabs and now clean for many years, although I picked up smoking weed again right after surgery to help cope with the loss of my comforter, my right hand man, my happy self, my food... but I only smoke on weekends 1-2 times, since that is when I am not working. So not heavy at all. Cigarettes I stopped 16 months ago. But have had like 4-5 of them in the last 2 months, but wont let myself start again, so no wiggle room. I guess I am saying I need support, any support will be welcome. Its just hard. that is all !

yes I agree with you !!! I am not going to try new things on vacation and everything is at a different pace. A few weeks ago I couldn't do mango or pineapple this week I can smoothly. Chicken is by far the worst

Since you're so early out from surgery, I can tell you this is normal. Hormones are wacky because this is a MAJOR surgery. The first 2 weeks I couldn't drink very well at all. I was on an all liquid diet for 2 weeks post op and it really hurt to drink. But, and I know you don't want to hear this, but it got better. IT WILL GET BETTER. Once you get to the mushy stage, it'll be Heaven. I'm 6 weeks out, and I can eat normal foods. The trick for me, since I never lost my hunger hormone and don't have restriction, is to stick super close to my bariatric diet. But I can tell you, you will be able to eat normal foods again. Maybe not rice or breads or pasts (or if you do, extremely small amounts), but meats, veggies, etc will definitely be ok. You just gotta get there. I know it's hard, but the end results are so worth it. I've lost 33 pounds in 6 weeks (an average of 5 1/2 pounds per week). And I had a miserable 2 week stall where I actually gained 5 pounds. And since then, once the stall broke, I lost those 5 pounds plus more. So while it's tough right now, make sure you get in your protein (shakes, protein water, etc), and make sure you're walking everyday. It really will get better. It took 3 weeks before all of my pain went away, but now I can do whatever I want exercise wise, and I can eat what I want as long as I make sure A) I don't eat portions that are too big I don't graze throughout the day C) I only eat what my stomach can tolerate (lettuce is a no no for me), and D) I stick to 60-80g of protein a day, less than 50g of carbs a day, and less than 50g of fats per day. You'll get there, and you'll look back on how you feel right now and really feel proud of yourself for how far you've come.

Thank you! That does explain why people experience the stall without being constipated. It may have been a concurrent phenomenon, but all I know is that as soon as I got all that stuff out of me, my weight started dropping again and is continuing to. I also wish my surgeon had warned me. I’m going to ask if she agrees with the concept of the early stall.

I had mine June 2nd and I don't get food until tomorrow. I have 14 days of just protein shakes (3-4 a day), broth, and jello. I am starting to hate protein shakes.

That's interesting. Every body is different, so I'm not saying that you didn't have a stall, but rather constipation, but the stall is a medically known and explained phenomenon. This video explains it.

When i had to do the total of 3 weeks, I made sure to have a variety of protein shakes (my favorites are from Fairlife and Premier) as well as a variety of protein flavored waters, sugar free protein gatorades, and protein smoothies. There's also sugar free jello you can have. And sugar free tropical popsicles. This is what got me through, helped me get my fluids in, and got me to my protein goals. I still drink a protein shake in the morning (has 30g of protein and caffeine). Make sure you give yourself variety so you don't get bored.

Thank you so much for your reply. I finally figured out how to update my profile. Sorry about that. Thank you also for the encouragement. Only 3 days in but I'm doing it. Farther than I thought I would have made it when the surgeon told me about it. lol.

Thank you so much. Only 3 days in and its definitely hard! However, so far so good!

Hey I had gastric bypass for reflux (5/13/22) as I was just on the side pushing it for weight loss too. Is anyone else here for this reason? Also, because I didn't go through the normal bariatric process beforehand, I don't know what the follow-up should look like either. I saw my surgeon 2 weeks post op and now not til 3 months with nothing in between. No nutritionist, no therapist, no nothing. Is this common?

I wasn't required to do it, but I chose to do an additional five weeks of pre-op diet. It'll make my end pre-op period 8 weeks. During those five weeks, I would drink a protein shake for breakfast and lunch and have a dinner of protein and vegetables. I didn't stick to a specific calorie range, but it was normally between 500-700. The 700 calorie days were typically when I couldn't avoid eating out and had to choose the healthiest option available to me. I'm starting my last week of pre-op today and I've lost 37.4 pounds so far. I was hoping for 50, but I knew that was a big ask.

That's a long time!!! I had to do a week of all liquid diet before surgery and 2 weeks of liquids after. I wasn't allowed to have any food at all in my pre and post op liquid diet, and if you look at my posts on here, I was MISERABLE lol I could never do 2 months. No way, no how. I give you huge props for it, and I wish you all the best and all the luck with it.

Yes. In my 3rd to 4th week, my weight loss stalled. I was consuming the same things I was when my weight loss was steady. Last week I realized that I had not had a bowel movement in a while. I tried taking Colace and Senna, and it felt like there was stool on the way. When I tried to expel it, it got stuck. I tried to get it out manually, but it didn’t work. After an afternoon and evening in the ER, I was sent home with prescriptions for Miralax and Lactulose. For several days I used a gloved finger to get the big, hard chunks out when I pushed and it got stuck. When I weighed myself on Monday, I had lost 6 pounds. Six pounds of poop. Since then, my weight loss is back on track. I hope that helps. Some here say that a 3rd week stall is normal. Maybe for some. I only know my stall ended when I got rid of all that stuff in me.

I'm not sure what a stall and being constipated have in common. Could you connect the dots for me?

I stalled for two weeks! Zero weight loss during my second AND third weeks post-op. It's normal and common. Weight loss for me resumed when I started pureed foods on week 4.

Are you constipated? How long has it been since you had a bowel movement? If it’s been enough that you can’t even remember, you probably are. Call your doctor, and tell them that you’re constipated. Some on this forum are saying that a 3 week stall is normal. I don’t think that’s correct. I don’t recall getting constipated with the original surgery.

OA does not have a therapist. It is a peer therapy group based on the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. I was there for 3 years about 15 years ago, before any thought of bariatruc surgery. It was a nice place to meet people and they were very supportive, but the group I attended was very judgemental. Im Not sure someone going through surgery would be very welcome.

I don't know if you are allowed to swallow capsules yet but I take these, and only 1 per day. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07HZ3YQ5X/ref=ox_sc_saved_image_4?smid=A2BW0FNFHPE2GN&psc=1 I have only had my 3 month blood work so far but everything checked out. So I can't say long term yet but they were recommended to me by someone 3 yrs post-op and her blood work is also good. I also take 1 calcium a day.

Hi all. Not been around for a while as just struggling with life in general. I'm 3 years after WLS now and still have my food addictions. I lost just over 9 stone in all and my weight has been stable for about a year now despite all the "junk" I now eat on a regular basis again. I can't seem to stop the crisps sweets cake and chocolate. If I run out I feel a desperate panic to go get more and although I don't and can't eat a lot at a time I will still have a bag of crisps and a chocolate bar every evening. I know its boredom as well as cravings. Even if I find myself a book to read or something to do I still want my treats in the evening. I've given into it as.my weight doesn't go up at all. I weigh every day to make sure. I think I will never get over my addiction. 😢

Most people have a week or 2 weeks of a pre op diet. tho that depends on your weight and BMI... The heavier you are the longer you are on the diet. You havent updated your stats on your profile. It would be helpful if you did. you can put your weight and height and the type of surgery you are getting. (Click your profile at the top right corner and go to SURGERY setting and update... but 2 months is brutal. as for having to loose 40lb. I have seen some surgeons require people to get under a certain BMI as a safety issue for surgery. but all surgeons are different with their guidlines.