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HI All! I had gastric sleeve surgery on 12/6/23. As of March 7th, I am 45lbs down. I stopped weighing myself after this date, though, bc I was becoming OBSESSED with the scale and would fall into a deep sadness each day I didn't lose at least a pound. So, I decided to put it away and focus on my feelings and habits. Anyway, lately, I've noticed I can eat much more than I was. I watched a YouTube video about a doctor explaining that after month 3, patients tend to notice they can eat more. He mentioned that it usually freaks them out at first because not being able to eat a lot at all was the major tool in helping the weight loss, but to not be alarmed because it's normal and to focus on healthy foods, working out, etc. Still, it's scaring me because I am scared I will fall into old bad habits and start overeating again. So I was just wondering, has anyone noticed this? I noticed I can eat more than I was 2 months ago. It's freaking me out a bit bc I'm scared I'll overeat, esp bc certain foods are easier to overeat than others. The other day, I got a bag of organic Doritos and ate the whole bag throughout the day. I know I shouldn't have, but I was weak. So, has anyone experienced this? Has it affected your progress at all? Please be kind. ❤️ Thanks!

I have been kicking off my day with a smoothie, and I think it's probably the healthiest thing I could do. I know the opinions on fruit sugar can vary, but for the most part, science seems to be on the side of reasonable quantities of whole fruit (not juice) being good for us and valuable for weight loss. I usually put about a cup (150g on the food scale) of assorted frozen fruits (may include banana, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, pineapple, mango, strawberries, blackberries, peaches, avocado), a handful of fresh baby spinach, 1 Tbsp each of chia seed, hemp seed, flax, and sunflower seed, a serving of beetroot powder, a scoop of Benefiber, 20g worth of unflavored protein powder, and top it off with tap water. This all fits in a 20oz smoothie blender cup, and usually takes me 30-60 minutes to drink as I start my morning. At around 425 calories and 33g protein, this is roughly half my calories and protein for the day! After that's done, I fill a 32oz thermal tumbler with 1 cup Fairlife skim milk and the rest decaf tea, which gets me another 13g protein, plus 24oz fluid. Since I can only get in about 15g protein at lunch and dinner when eating solid foods, it's really helpful for me to get so much in during the morning in an easy to consume format. I may try adding frozen riced cauliflower to the smoothie, too, as I hear that's good for the creaminess and I need another veg. Has anyone used any veg besides greens in your smoothies?

Losing weight. Feeling healthier & better in general. I didn’t have any comorbidities but being almost 54 at the time I knew it was only a matter of time. The surgery was fine. Didn’t experience anything other than what was possible (like the terrible diarrhoea I had one day). My back went into spasm but that was more me & my back than a side effect of the surgery. No complications. Pretty easy actually. I think because I really wanted the surgery & had no doubts I was ready for the changes. And really once through the weight loss phase the changes are minimal & what you choose to do like eating choices, activity choices, etc. I didn’t experience many issues with being unable to tolerate certain foods except for the temporary changes to my taste buds. After two months I was eating pretty much what I wanted (nutritionally appropriate of course). Five years post sleeve & I eat pretty much what I want. There are things I chose not to eat any more simply because I don’t want to go back to how I was before surgery. My food choices are more nutritionally dense & eat more low or no processed foods. Last year my tummy decided it didn’t like eggs any more. Been meaning to test to see if it still doesn’t like them. I’ve always had a quirky tummy that was sensitive to some foods so that’s not a change for me really. I do experience the foamies more often than most but I think that it’s related more to my quirky tummy. I vomited (though more like regurgitating than full out muscle spasming vomiting) a couple of times in the first month or so. Due to the multi vitamins causing nausea more than any thing else. Probably took me a little longer because my energy was low for a while & my blood pressure was pretty low all the time (still is most of the time). Again, I always had a tendency towards low blood pressure so not a big change or adjustment. After the first couple of months, yes, I had more energy. No. I didn’t have any mental health issues prior to surgery & none after. Would say I feel more confident & comfortable about myself in general though. Don’t regret it at all. Yes I would recommend it. However, as I mentioned above you have to be ready for the surgery & the changes you have to make around your eating. There is a lot of head work you have to do around your relationship with food, what may drive you to turn to food & your eating habits. It is a lifetime thing & you will always have to work at it. As we say, the surgery changes your body but it doesn’t change your head & thinking. All the best.

Its just like doing a keto diet for life, you each week up your carbs until you fall out of ketosis than back off by 5-10 grams then maintain that carb load for life. You do the same for calories, increase by 100 for two weeks, still losing..tack on another 100 each few weeks until weight loss stops, now you've found your maintenance calorie load.

I had waist length hair at surgery start- not too thick. Starting losing hair about 3 months out, like others— and while the length helped hide it at the start, toward the end my ends were super thin. At 9 or so months out I went and cut about 6 inches- and it does look much fuller now. I can see baby hairs have been growing in all over, and have some about 4 inches that can stand out if I dont smooth them down, especially around the edges of my hairline. Luckily the regrowth is coming in white and I totally love it! No more coloring my hair, and it feels soft and healthy.

Just had my first milestone walk - completed the entire block at a decent pace in 15 minutes! I was worried I wouldn't even make it to the end of the street, but I got there and felt like I could keep going... so I did. I can't wait for these weight restrictions for lifting/pulling/all that jazz to be lifted so I can actually take my dog out. But he's so hyper all the time that he would do more harm than good right now. I'm trying a plan today to hopefully reach my fluid and protein goals (like adding more water to a premade shake and things like that). We'll see. Those of you who have had your first post-op appointment already, could you tell you were losing weight prior to the appointment? I can't and I'm terrified I'm doing things wrong. But I guess since I actually made it around the block in a decent time, maybe something is working. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @ShoppGirl I'm definitely going to be looking into making the proffee. Iced coffee is my fave (though honestly, I just love coffee). I foresee me making it the night before, just so that I don't have to get up even earlier when I return to work. At least until I get a rhythm going lol. Huh, I didn't even know there were different ones, other than the Protein 2o with caffeine and without. So that is good information. I've been having one of the electrolyte ones a day, because honestly it was just so much for me to drink at once. I know I really need to focus on those goals, but man... I can't even finish a premade protein shake in 30 minutes right now. I'm glad you got to enjoy your crochet group, and kudos on feeling better in your normal clothes! 27lbs is no joke, so another grats to you for sticking to it and seeing it through to the other side. And congrats as well on your NSV with the car seat! It's nice to have cheerleaders. I haven't really told many people about my surgery - my husband (obviously), a few best friends, and my in-laws. My in-laws were... probably the most negative of everyone, telling me how they knew people who had the surgery and it ended up not working for them. But I knew they were just offering their perspective. Those suggestions from your crochet group are amazing! I love Ms. Dash flavors myself, and the food processor idea is amazing. Responding to a later post - I'm glad it worked!!! Makes me look forward to that puree stage even more. I think putting a band aid over the incision under your breast is a good idea for a while. I know I'm just as nervous about my incisions (though I can't wait for these staples to be out, holy crap). So I too would be erring on the side of caution, just to make sure I didn't open them up again or anything. Ohhhhh, good information about the peas, corn and collagen. I'll have to double check my book when I get to the pureed stage. (Though someone's idea about getting baby food some time ago in this forum is still like... the best idea ever to me.) You have soft foods coming up already? That's awesome! Although, you did have surgery a bit before me, so that makes sense lol. I am nervous about doing anything beyond the full liquids currently, just because I'm not sure what to expect with my new stomach. But at the same time, I can't wait to move it right along. I'm sorry to hear about your dog. ❤️ I've never boiled chicken before. How do you know when it's ready? I'm sure as I progress, I'll definitely have more questions. Right now, I'm just focusing on my fluid and protein goals. And not overdoing it with the pain. I took myself off the narcotics because I am terrified of taking them more than necessary, but I'm not sure Tylenol is cutting it either. Maybe I'll break down and take one tonight so I can hopefully get some sleep since I've been struggling getting comfortable. Thank you for the website recommendation! I'm trying to do all the reading and stuff to make sure I can stay on top of everything. I too am a 'by the rules' person if I know the rules, and I really need this to work for me. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @RRenaeL23 You are very welcome! I hope that helps you out some, and you definitely deserve all the encouragement. Everyone here does. We are all each other's cheerleaders because we know what we are going through, and we're going through it together. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @Hiddenroses I know what you mean about being easier to type from a desktop computer. I have to have a separate word document open to help me organize my thoughts as I'm responding to each post. That's another reason why it takes me like... a couple of days between posts. (My ADHD is also responsible for that, but shhhhhhhh.) I'm sorry that Wednesday was exhausting for you. I've had a couple of nights now where I'm just not sleeping. I can't get comfortable. I'm not in pain, but it just seems that since I took myself off my pain meds that I have been extremely tender in the abdomen lately. I do like your idea of the 'no noodle' soup, and will definitely keep that in mind for when I make it to the puree stage. I have so much stuff to get for that point, but I'm waiting until I'm actually at that point. I am looking forward to the ricotta bake that ShoppGirl has mentioned a few times. Though, admittedly, I'm just looking forward to different flavors. You are welcome again for the pillow idea. My pillow is my best friend right now, literally lol. It protects me from the overzealous dogs I have as well as just provides relief. My left side is also where most of my tenderness/pain is at this point, so being able to apply pressure there has been really helpful. And... a month or two to recover??? My husband might lose his mind lol. He still forgets I just had surgery and is like, "Will you cook dinner?" No, no I will not. You are an adult, figure it out. I am not taking any kind of collagen. The only thigns I got were what the doctor told me to get, which was my multivitiman with iron and the calcium supplements. They did not recommend anything else, so I went out of my way to make sure I didn't get anything else lol. I did not want to screw up anything regarding this surgery. I'm still using an antibacterial body wash, so I guess that's the biggest thing. So enjoy your Hibiclens while you have it! (And absolutely, if insurance paid for it - TAKE IT ALL. lol) Baritastic has been great, so I also highly recommend. It's what my bariatric team wanted me to use, and I've been using it faithfully. I have noticed a few things that had the wrong information, but it is easy enough to correct. I'm glad you got in contact with your testing center and will be meeting with a counselor soon. Honestly, getting tested was the best thing I've ever done and told me so much about myself. Finch sounds kind of like Habitica, which is what I have been using to help me set routines and habits and such. 40-60g of protein for a female? My bariatric team says a minimum of 60g of protein a day, and the more the merrier. I'm still amazed at how different offices handle things. Pre-surgery, I was averaging 90-100g of protein a day, and they were ecstatic about that. They did say the more protein I could handle before and after surgery, the less likely I would be to lose my hair and things like that. I'm still not quite up to that 60g mark post-op, but I'm hoping I might be able to hit it today. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @Pepper_No_Salt Welcome to full liquids! Sounds like your first post-op appointment went well! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @Greekmom4 The refried beans with salsa and a little bit of mozzarella sounds yummy. I'm used to eating medium salsa, but I'm pretty sure that's a no go for a while lol. Those are also good tips for starting the soft stages of food. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ @AndreaJD (I'm not sure why it suddenly won't let me tag you?) My incisions can't make up their mind if they want to hurt or if they want to itch. They seem to alternate between both, though the ones on my left side tend to hurt more than the others. I do absolutely have those moments of "I want...." though mine are more like, "I want a slice of cheese, just to have something different than liquids." There are a few times that I want things I used to have, like Cheez-Its. But I know those aren't on the table, so I am able to push those away fairly quickly. But as someone who loves a variety of food, I'm really struggling with just "I want ANYTHING different than my current liquids." I'm glad your sister is showing her support. I've been on Pinterest myself, pinning recipes for Future Me to be able to have. As for weighing, I literally do not weight myself. Only at the doctor's office. Because I DO get hyperfixated on those numbers and will absolutely derail myself mentally. Maybe I'll go to weighing myself once a month at home after a few post-op visits, but for now I'm just doing it strictly at the doctor's office.

Out of curiosity, are they finding the drug itself causes the difference or is the difference what you would expect to see with the weight loss the drug causes?

Hi everyone!! okay so I’ve always been “heavier” haven’t met the BMI standards since jr high maybe a year in high school. My hips & thighs were always me in size 9 jeans. Well I had health issues that required surgeries. Which left me disabled. And my weight was stuck at 180 due to it, my weight jumped some to 210. I am currently on Rybelsus 7mg and my current weight is 189. So im almost to the weight that I’ve been stuck at for years. Yesterday I had a consultation, intake to the Bariatric program. I was told that I would be receiving a Gastric Sleeve with robotics, which would give me one night hospital stay and a weight loss of 60-80 pounds. I’ll be having the testing done soon as well as meet with the psychiatrist and dietitian. I see him again 9-11-24 So I can home a nervous wreck! I am afraid of having general anesthesia again. I have had it a few times without and with complications. Honestly being a mom IS the only real reason so my anxiety. The what if I pass. I researched ALOT and seen the procedure is a safe one. That calmed me nerves and I was in a good space, until an hour ago. I started thinking about how I absolutely LOVE food and how only being able to eat maybe half a happy meal. I read gum, soda etc are not allowed after surgery as well. According to my P.C.P. I am healthy just obese. Years ago I struggled with hypertension, diabetes and gallstones. Those issues were resolved but I have a consult about my fatty liver in Nov. anyways. I was wondering has anyone else gone through this? I don’t care if I get down to my healthy bmi weight or not. I am fine if I can get to 160. What I am saying is am I having the “regret” even though I haven’t even had surgery yet. A little FYI.. I am Intermittent Fasting & My disability makes me unable to jump, run or go one long walks. I can’t do some exercises so modifications help but are not as effective I believe. So I AM excepting, eating healthier already.

Thank you NickelChip for these ideas. I'm also having trouble. I asked my surgeon if my sugar addiction was going to be a problem after surgery and he said "no". Since I had the sleeve, I don't get dumping syndrome when I eat sugary things. I start over every morning, every afternoon, and every evening - lol. Because of back pain, I hadn't been able to walk very often, but I've been trying to get around the neighborhood a 1-2 times a day on the days I work from home. I want to get serious with weight loss so that my pain will lessen. I know sugar is an inflammatory agent - but, sugar addiction is real. brandycsiz we can do it!

while im a huge supporter (and lover, lol) of pork rinds... would caution eating then during weight loss phase as they are crazy high in calories. i ate them regularly immediately after goal to increase my calorie intake without much volume....but not during weight loss phase. raw veggies are good for crunch....

a couple weeks ago i remember your post about your struggle to stop losing...are you still losing while this hunger appeared? perhaps its your body's response to the weight losses...? if thats the case, then perhaps listen to your bod and eat more? i can imagine that eating more is in itself a struggle...it took me 3-4 months to get over the mental block to actually stop diet mode (and like 2 years to get over the mental block of eating bread/rice/pasta lol) if im not mistaken you just recently reached goal? (congrats again btw), my suggestion would be to give yourself a bit more time (ie several months) to find your happy spot, it usually takes a while before you get to the autopilot of maintenance...great suggestions above...experiment with (small amounts) of (preferably nutritious) foods and amounts and see what help with the hunger. keep an eye on the scale in tandem to determine any causal relationships with certain foods. but yeah, i know, "easier said...". good luck, and it CAN be done! ❤️

I call it hot girl fit (stole & twisted it from some recent movie). Look good, have muscle definition but have no strength or stamina. Gym fit but not life fit. Lol! Oh, yes the changing body shape when your body resettles. I remember looking in the mirror bemoaning the loss of my hour glass figure. I was all straight up & down when my weight first stabilised. Then one day I realised I had a definite waist & hips again (breasts remained larger - E cup & smaller band - just empty on top). Yay! Still no butt. And like @ms.sss, if you look at me sideways, you can’t tell my front from my back around that area. There are trousers I can’t wear because I have no butt to fill out the back & have that saggy, baggy butt look from the excess fabric. PS - Hate to tell you @ms.sss, your dental issues may be related to menopause & being in that ‘certain age’ bracket. It affects so many parts of our body besides the obvious cessation of our cycle. Pretty crappy really. Men get it so easy!

Hello @MelP1970 and welcome into the forum. You are in a very strange and bewildering time in your recovery. You might be regretting your surgery, lots of us do. The fat cells that you are shedding so quickly at this point, contain your hormones. Fast weight loss means so many are coursing through your body now. Its like puberty all over again. I was so emotional and could not understand why. A kind soul on here put me right. It is a massive learning curve right now for you. Just relearning to drink is a full time job . You are lucky, like me, no hunger pangs. I also love to cook. Once I was physically able to cook again, I restarted feeding my family. I make my portion separately from theirs. For instance, If I make Lasagne for the fam, mine has no pasta and I use sliced baked aubergine instead. Having a wide knowledge of recipes has really helped me vary my food choices. I am 2+ years out and do not feel any loss issues because I can eat almost all the foods I could before surgery. I still have a few issues with certain foods that I adored pre surgery. For instance, I detest cooked salmon but make my own Gravadlax and it tastes divine to me. I hated eggs and now I find them delicious ! If I have carbs, its only a few spoons. I make own wholemeal, seeded bread. This means I can eat a sandwich. Its not the same as regular shop bought stodge which sits heavily in my stomach for hours and then gives me the foamies. I still enjoy eating but now a tiny amount suffices. Being thin feels better than eating huge meals. Long ago, I read that Parisienne women ate this way, a few forkfuls and they leave the rest. My immediate family are used to me eating what I can and putting the remainder in the fridge for a later snack. I have a friend that I eat out with once a week. It was hard in the beginning to find things I could eat on a menu but now I usually have a salad which to me is a joy. I love the variety and crunch. This forum has members all over the world. People post pictures in the ' Food before and after' page. I find things I have never heard of before. This leads to new recipes to cook and taste. TBH my menu has expanded now, my food is more nutrient dense and much better quality. Give yourself time to accept the changes and challenges. You will feel your normal self quite soon.

I have bad knees, no cartilage in either, which I have been told will need to be replaced in the years to come. I see you don't have a pool close by that is not cheap but I do aqua aerobics once a week and feel the benefit of it so if you could even afford a class once a week it might do you the world of good. I am lucky that my hospital run the class so I just have to pay about €100 by way of membership for the year and the classes are 50 weeks of the year. I also have an exercise bike that I go would go slowly on for about 20 minutes three times a week. Now that I have lost more weight and the weather is improving I find I can do short walks of about 20 minutes/1.5km. My knees do ache afterwards at night but not as bad as before when I was heavier so I feel it is worth it, put a bit of gel on them and it helps me sleep easier. I now also do the Svelte 'One and Done' exercise program, just the beginner level, three days a week. There are some exercises I can't do as they require knee movements I can't do but from what I have seen so far there is always an alternative exercise shown if movement is not possible. You could always check out their YouTube site as they have plenty of exercises that you don't have to pay for. Even though my weight loss has slowed down I can see where I am still losing cm's.

the smaller you get, the slower the weight comes off. you don't need as much calories to move your 160-pound body as you did to move your previous 240-pound body. At 700 cals a day you are still below maintenance cals for your height and current weight. so if you just keep going, you will drop pounds. It may drop at a slower rate, but slower weight loss is still weight loss. also: RE: increasing calories with limited stomach real estate...swap out one of your veggie portions for 1/2 an avocado (200 cals). add olive oil to your food (119 calories per tbsp). add cream to your coffee (50 cals per tbsp). spread almond butter on a cracker (100 cals per tbsp).

Are you male? I was on a pre surgery diet of 1000-1200 calories max (female) and that's fairly common...Men 1300 - 1500 max.. The amount of exercise I did didn't matter (I was very active). I started May and my surgery was in August.. I was under the impression those calorie limits were fairly normal, am I missing something here? On average not trying to lose weight is 1800 - 2200 (maintenance) based on age, height etc..Sooo dropping to 1200 would still be healthy but allow for healthy weight loss. Lastly, I understand you're training, but after surgery you will be on even less calories (I'm almost 9 months PO and I get 800 calorie and your swimming event is 2025 - post surgery..so you'd be on calorie restrictions then..what's the difference between now and then?. Training is about building endurance and calories shouldn't matter as long as you're getting what is recommended and the right macros. Yes, everyone is different but your dietician knows your current weight, goals and objectives. I personally would do as your plan dictates if you want to go ahead with the surgery. Once you go and do your own thing (which I'm assuming is why you need the WLS in the first place) its very difficult to stay on the program. I also realize that your swimming event is important to you, but you need to decide what is most important - the swim event or becoming healthy. Something to think on...

I am still in the Weight loss phase, what type of granola do you eat? I am struggling to find that one that isnt extremely high in carbs. What is this PB chicken recipe?! Sounds amazing!

Right now I am not getting a great deal of help from his team. I am trying to decide between SADI and bypass but I honestly think I may be one of the first patients to get the SADI with him. A fact that if it is true scares me a bit but the possibility of greater weight loss has kept me interested. I do have an appointment tomorrow with his PA and in two weeks with the dietician to help in my decision. I hope I get quite a few answers between the two. I am just really trying to figure things out so I can eat that way now to see what I am possibly getting myself into. Lol

Yes, it will pass (though they are still frustrating & upsetting) but it doesn’t necessarily mean your weight loss is over. I lost another 11kgs (24lbs) in about another year after I reached goal. And many others will tell you the same. While they lost the bulk of their weight in the first 6-12 months, their weight loss continued very slowly for another 6-12 months or more. So it’s not over until it’s over. My surgeon & his colleague also suggested I increase my calories when I was dropping below goal. I said I can only eat what I can eat. My dietician made a couple of suggestions like adding full cream milk powder to any milk based drink or dish. I tried it but found it very sweet. Over time, I was able to eat more both in volume & calories & was eating a wider variety of food sources just like I had along the whole way until my loss stopped at about 1300 calories. I eat about 1500/1600 now & maintain at basically the same weight. Maybe touch base with your dietician for some ideas or things you can swap in much like @ms.sss suggested. Remember to celebrate the weight you have lost & every pound you lose next even if it takes weeks to lose it. You got this.

Ty! Yes we are! Some of that weight loss was pre-surgery, lost about 26# since surgery. I feel really good actually. a) I too need to stop eating before I’m too full like so many others here, I’m having a hard time with that. b) I was super nauseous for the first 3 weeks or so but was lucky in that my surgeon gave me Zofran for it. My Dr. cleared me to eat whatever (as long as it’s healthy) I want after my 1 month follow up and so far so good. My new favorite food is canned chicken crust pizza I make. It’s soooo yummy and gives me tons of protein intake with just one piece. c) I’m definitely feeling the stalls, I’ve had 2 (one currently) which is what makes me come see how y’all are doing and then I realize it’s not just me so that makes me feel better. It’s just so annoying bc I typically eat about 750-900 cal a day and my brain just doesn’t want to get why the weight doesn’t just drop off 🤣. I think it thinks I’m starving to death 🤦🏼‍♀️😂 d) I have on occasion gotten super hungry which I hate. I was so hoping that feeling was permanently gone but 🤷🏼‍♀️. It’s only happened to me 2 or 3 times so maybe I was dehydrated? That’s what I’m telling myself for now. I also have a hard time getting 64 ounces of fluid in but I try. And going back to the nausea thing….i just had a couple of suggestions that I’ve tried and have helped me, but of course ev1 is different. Even the thought of protein shakes now make me want to vomit, I do everything I can to avoid having to drink them. I try to hit 60-80 gm of protein a day. I eat a lot of tuna, chicken, Greek yogurt, the Only Bean roasted edamame beans and chicken pizza crust pizza. And use liquicel if I need a protein boost before breaking down and having a shake. I don’t ever take my vitamins on an empty stomach, I always eat light and fit Greek yogurt first. water makes me nauseated now. So I very rarely drink plain water. I usually drink decaf unsweetened iced tea and now add Mio to my water but I’m trying to integrate the plain water back in, I think it’s just some kind of weird mental block. And just keep in mind that dehydration itself can cause fatigue and nausea! Of course so can the vitamins were all taking 😂 Sorry for the vvvveeerrryyyyyy long post guys! And thanks again for all y’all’s unknown help. I wish ev1 the best on their weight loss journey!

Everyone loses at their own rate. There are many factors that can influence your rate of loss (constipation, diarrhoea, fluid retention, your body’s reaction to the surgery, starting weight, medications, etc.). Though it can be difficult, try not to compare yourself with others. It will only lead to frustration & feeling you’re failing. You’re not failing. You’ve lost 4lbs in 11 days - yay! Remember too that many nerves were cut during your surgery so messages about feeling full or eaten enough either aren’t getting through or the messages are distorted. It takes around 8 weeks to be fully healed & when your messages start to come back they may be different to what you remember. It’s why it’s important to stick to the portion recommendations you were advised & to eat slowly (takes a good 20+ minutes for a full message to get through when you’re healed). Portion sizes do differ but 4-6oz at 11days seems a lot. My plan was 1/4 - 1/3 cup of food from purée slowly increasing to a cup at 6 months & 3 meals a day. Fluids were just sip, sip, sip, regardless of what I was drinking. So it took me a couple of hours to drink a shake or a cup of soup too. But that was my plan & plans differ. Check your plan for portions & also the foods you are allowed at each stage. I could have cottage cheese at weeks 3 & 4 purées & chili at the soft food stage at weeks 5 & 6. Congrats on your surgery.

Wow your life is so full on, and here i am struggling to go to work each day haha. I've got my 3 months post surgery coming up and i really hope my surgeon will be happy with my progress. Starting weight was 118.6kg way back in Oct on day of surgery was 111.9 kg and now sitting at 96.1 kg I've got to keep reminding myself that I've kept off 20kg since starting and that's a huge achievement for me but still want my surgeon to be happy. I've got a leg infection again at the moment so it has slowed down my walking routine (which annoys me) back to the doc this morning before work - i Just finished 2nd round of antibiotics - the pain feels like I've walked into a tow bar at shin level but constantly oh and i kind of high jump into bed because i can't put any weight on the knee. I suppose i should be grateful I've got a great gp that has already sent me scans to rule out blood clots. Other than that working on making better choices on protein my next dietician appointment is at the end of May and she says we will talk about Macros so I'm looking forward to that. My hubby went to see my surgeon as he is 233kg and surgeon wants him to get down to 180kg before surgery. Has advised him to go on weight loss medication (our GP gave him a scrip for Ozempic to begin with which is 1 needle a week) and he is off to see my dietician mid June so I'm happy with that. The dietician associated with his other surgeon told him just to eat veggies and 1 meal a day of 300 calories, even i had a protein allowance in my pre diet. I went for a short walk/hobble at a Lake near our work yesterday and i must of brushed under a tree with ants on it. Got back to work and stripped off clothes picking ants out of everywhere spent next few hours whilst driving bus, picking another Ant out under my clothing the little buggers. Fortunately no bites but i literally had ants in my pants. I'm on my 4th food tracking app this one i seem to like so hopefully I'll stay with it haha Anyway have a great day everyone.

OMG I love your hair color as well. You look so much younger. Great job with the weight loss. I am going for the same hair color as well after losing my weight. You are a great inspiration.

I hope someone will be able to comment on a scenario similar to my own. I underwent a mini gastric bypass procedure several years ago. I have lost 60-70% of my original body weight and now look very emaciated! The mini gastric bypass procedure has proven to be too powerful in its malabsorptive nature. Scans revealed no anomalies to the index procedure or other parts of my anatomy that would contribute to why I am not putting on weight, despite eating like a horse. My only option now is to have a conversion of the mini gastric bypass to RYGB, and the surgeon will be looking at the limb lengths, to help increase my absorption so that I look healthy. Currently, I am not even absorbing nutrients or vitamins to a satisfactory level. My body aches and I have next to no energy. Original weight 130kg. Now 55kg. Does anyone have experience of a revision to RYGB where the desired outcome was to achieve absorption and weight gain? Most revision posts are geared towards achieving weight loss, which is understandable. But there must be cases of MGB or even RYGB whereby it has proven too powerful to the detriment of achieving a good quality of life. My message to all those who are considering MGB/OAGB, please do not be fooled by the “mini” part. This procedure is much more powerful than RYGB. Unless a patient is excessively excessively overweight, the safest bet in my opinion would be to go for RYGB over MGB. I chose MGB because it was a safer procedure over the RYGB and I erred on the side of caution, thinking that I may not lose sufficient weight. I could not have been more wrong.

1. What was the best part of surgery for you? The jumpstart to weight loss was obviously amazing, but I was surprised how quickly my usual body pain & aches stopped bothering me. My knee problems have basically vanished, and the lower back pain I had gotten so used to living with has gotten so much better. I can breath easier when doing things that used to have me out of breath -- going up 2 flights of stairs, for example. 2. What was the worst part of surgery for you? The pre-OP shakes -- I'm lactose intolerant and have trouble with stevia, and there were no shakes my care team could find for me that didn't have one-or-both things, so I spent a good 8-9 days barely keeping anything down. The surgery itself went off without a problem, and the pain wasn't as bad as I thought -- other than the car ride home! If you get WLS, bring a pillow to clutch to you afterwards!! 3. Did you have any complications (minor or major) during or after your surgery? Nothing during, nor after -- but I'm only 10wks post-OP tomorrow. 4. How has adjusting to your new life been for you? I too am on SSRIs for long-time depression & anxiety. Most days have been awesome and cheery. Even during the initial aches and pains of recovery, just knowing that things were going to start changing for the better improved my mental state. I still have bad moments / days but once I started seeing all the improvements to my life it makes it easier to push through. It certainly helps to have a good support system -- people in my life, but also honestly this forum. TBH I was in a #$%& mood all day and feeling lethargic, but logging in here I know that everyone here understands and it just makes me feel more settled. 5. How long did it take you to feel comfortable eating food? I am currently having a ton of problems with chicken breast. I hate 'dark meat' poultry, but tried chicken thighs recently and it's not too bad but still leaves me with a heavy feeling in my stomach -- still better than the stuck feeling in my chest that the white meat gave. I feel like no matter what I put on it or how I cook it, it's just clearly a No for now. That said, for the most part everything else has gone down well as long as I eat slowly, and make choices consistent with my care team's plan / schedule. Going from puree to soft foods was probably the hardest for me physically, because it felt so different in my stomach. 6. Is there anything you can’t eat anymore that you used to enjoy? It's early on for me, but the changes in my body's hormones seems to have stopped most of my cravings. When I'm having a rough time emotionally, I still have momentary yearnings for old 'comfort foods' but honestly just the thought of some of them will turn me off within a few minutes. (For some reason if I think about fatty oils too long, I just get nauseated). And many of my old comfort foods have just updated into healthier things I can eat. Instead of my mum's Dutch mashed potatoes, I have a smaller bowl of healthier mashed potatoes (or cauliflower, or heart of palm) with a scoop of bone broth powder to up the protein. Instead of spaghetti and meatballs, I have homemade meatballs and extra sauce -- or a ricotta bake instead of lasagna. 7. What was your recovery like? Any vomiting or dumping syndrome? I've had one instance of dumping syndrome so far, and it was 100% my own fault. I knew what the culprit was immediately (white-flour leftover tortilla and more difficult chicken breast). I won't lie, I seriously wanted to die for probably an hour, and then slept the rest of the day away. It's horrid. I'm hoping that I've learned enough to take better care / caution and avoid any more instances. Other than that, recovery has been pretty smooth. All my incisions healed up without issue, the gas pain only lasted a few weeks and then there was just a strange tightness / mild soreness on one side of my body for the first 5-6 weeks. 8. How long did it take you to feel semi-normal after surgery? I want to say 2-3 weeks. Around the time I started eating puree (week 3), my energy levels started bouncing back much more rapidly -- which let me walk more easily. 9. Did you experience higher energy level post surgery? 100% yes. NGL, sometimes I feel like skipping even though it's not suitable for someone my age, LOL. I feel like I've been more efficient at work post-OP just because of the energy improvement, and physically I notice the increased stamina every time I go on an errand or for a walk with my dog. (I tire her out now!) 10. Did surgery affect your mental health? For the better. Some of it is because the energy and the physical improvements make me feel better about myself in general, but part of it is kind of a trickle-down effect. I spend more time making good, healthy choices for myself, spend more time being mindful whether it's while I'm eating, or making a grocery list, cooking, etc. It's so much time spent on self-improvement and self-care. So I have less time to worry about what other people's secret thoughts or judgments might be and take people more at face value. I have less time to waste on people that bring toxicity to my life or can't respect my boundaries. It's like this microcosm of self-care made by investing my energy in my current journey has expanded it's hooks into the rest of my life. I feel like for the first time in my life, I am actually one of my top priorities. 11. Do you regret it? Would you recommend it? I had moments of regret during dumping syndrome, for sure. But as soon as I recovered from that one bout, I was still happy I'd done the surgery. I think it definitely forces us to take ownership of our own health and making the best decisions we can towards that. I would recommend it to anyone who has struggled with weight loss and can honestly look at their life and see themselves living in this framework for the rest of their lives. By all accounts it seems to be incredibly important to keep it all up -- the vitamins and supplements, the healthy choices and portion sizes, etc. I would NOT recommend it for anyone looking for a magic pill. This takes work, will continue to take work.