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Yeah - It's the Pre-Op diet that is the most difficult and then it gets hard again about a week after surgery - unless you are lucky enough to have restriction right off the table. Once you start eating normal food, and getting fills - it all gets a lot easier. Don't be afraid. It's going to be just fine. We all survived - and believe me when I tell you - I am NO paragon of self control. If I did it, you can too. Hugs!!

Hello, i have a question. I know for certain procedures like lipo and tummy tuck (not that its the same) people are required to use slimming body suits after surgery. After i got banded the nurse told me not to use anything tight around the incisions but its been two weeks and i was wonderin if i could use a sliming suit (the ones they sell at the mall that make u slender) so my skin reacts better to the weightloss, any thoughts, suggestions or comments are appreciated.

I had my liquid diet two weeks prior but it included 1 meal, protein and 1-2 cups of veggies. I know the first day, I had to eat half my protein at 2:30. I ate later my other half with veggies After that I was able to drink two protien shakes and make it till 5 for dinner. I cheated with egg drop soup twice I think. I was also able to drink homemade broth so that kept me from starving kinda. If you want a bite try 1 spoon of what you are craving. Just to get it out of your system. I see nothing wrong.

Bacon is very fatty so it could trigger dumping syndrome. If you cook it until hard, you might be able to tolerate it. You would not want to eat 3-4 oz of bacon, though!

Great answers I will be sleeved on Saturday of this week and this is good to know..but I am going to Mexico...staying for three days...Good Luck on your journey

First of all, just a general disclaimer: everyone is different, so while this is my experience, yours may be different. Good luck on your 2 week liquid diet. The first 2-3 days will be your hardest. By day 4, I wasn't hungry or anything anymore. It'll suck, but you'll get through it and have lost some weight. I, personally, lost 12 pounds during my 1 week liquid diet pre-op. I didn't pack anything for the hospital since I planned on going home, and we live close enough for my husband to pick up anything I may need if I had to stay over night. My husband brought his laptop since he stayed with me the whole time. I reported to the hospital at 5 in the morning and was in the OR by 7. I was in the prep room for about an hour. I woke up at about noon feeling no pain only nausea. Nausea and gas were the only "pains" I ever had from surgery, and the nausea was actually from the anesthesia and the pain meds that I was given afterwards. I lost pretty steadily for the first 3 weeks, though the loss didn't start until about day 2. I attributed that to the gas they pumped into my stomach. The pain that I felt in the recovery week was gas pains. I expected the pain in my chest, but what I didn't expect was the gas pain in my shoulder. Gas-X helped for the chest pain since it made me burp, but nothing I could take helped with the shoulder pain. What I ended up doing was putting a heat pack on my shoulder to help a bit. Another thing I didn't know until the class before my surgery was that my surgeon required an additional 3 weeks of liquids after surgery. I just about went crazy by the end of the 2nd week since I had already had 1 week of pre-op liquids under my belt. I was extra careful when showering because my staples were super annoying. Once my incisions started to heal, they itched like crazy! My surgeon's office told me to put some benadryl anti itch cream on it. Well, it worked...until I had an allergic reaction. But, it worked! I hated how itchy the incisions were. So what I wish people told me before surgery: * Wait until anesthesia wears off before taking pain meds because apparently, I don't do well with pain meds and just get nauseous. * Prepare for a month of liquids. Protein shakes, Soups in between, sugar free Jello, etc. FOR A MONTH * It's possible to get gas pains in the shoulder, and it's annoying. It's like a dull ache that you can't massage out. * Healing skin itches A LOT. I actually couldn't sleep some nights because it itched so much!

I've lost 30 lbs on the 3 mo diet. Not sure what I've lost on the 2 week one

why do I feel like I can eat and eat sometimes and others I can't hardly eat anything. so weird! I'm also at a stall...blah

Thanks I'll try the Tums. My 3 yr old tells me my breath is stinky!

My surgery is a week from today and I woke up with a totally sore throat.....it's almost swollen shut. No fever or any other symptoms I am praying it's allergies. I called my surgeon's office today and OF COURSE didn't get a call back. I know most times surgery can't be done when you are sick but I also don't want to take my medicine since I was supposed to be off everything except my blood pressure meds 10 days before surgery After working so hard to get to this point since last May I do not want to be denied last minute!! Anyone know if it's okay for me to take allergy/cold meds? or any natural remedies okay for me to do? I am on the liver shrink diet so didn't want to even try honey

I am 8 weeks into my weight loss journey... my total loss is 27 lb... I am thrilled with this loss... I was stalled for about 2 1/2 weeks and I think I am moving past that... it feels good not worrying about losing ... I am fine with a slow loss because I know it will come off eventually...

Hi, I'm new here. Female, 49. I have been lurking since I started my journey, in September. Since that time, I have been making many changes, awaiting a date for my surgery. (Gastric Bypass). I had my surgical consult a week ago, and everything went very well. I feel very confident about my surgeon. He seems to think despite my having previous colon resection surgery that I am still a good candidate for what I believe he called a low limbic Gastric Bypass. I have made a lot of changes, which I notice everyone else has too. I just hit my 1 year smoke free anniversary I stopped drinking diet soda, gave up caffeinated coffee, I am drinking about 100 oz. Water daily, passed all my psych evals. I am recording everything I eat, and I'm losing, a small amount of weight. I'm on 2 types of insulin, so that's not an easy task, but I am working on it. I eat Breakfast, and I haven't done that since I was a kid. I still worry about one thing, I still have a craving for something sweet after a meal. I don't bring bad things into the house which helps. It still doesn't change my cravings. Maybe that in and of itself is a problem, thinking foods are bad or good. I have my last dietary meeting at the end of the month. They told me about 6 weeks from that appt. will be my surgery. Anyone else have issues with specific foods, or sweets? I have done so much work, but I know I have to tackle this last craving to be successful. Sorry if I seem like I am rambling. It's just a lot and I hope to make some friends here, and work through some of these fears and doubts with others who may be having the same thoughts. Did anyone else have to have an endoscopy because they have GERD? I do. My surgeon is doing it though, so I'm glad of that, he should be able to tell me right away if there are any issues that would prevent surgery. Thanks so much for reading. Gahhhhhhhhhhh I'm really doing this. Maybe that's why it took so long for me to actually get up the nerve to write here. It's getting so close, there is no turning back, and I am happy, and ready, but I could use the support of others who are going through this and have gone through it.

I lost 20 lbs in the first two weeks then nothing for two weeks and now I'm losing again! Be Patient and hang in there. It works in weird ways but it will start up again.

Not losing weight in 4 days is not a stall. My doc says that a platoe is when you are not losing in months. I know it's hard but sometimes is better not to get on the scale every day. Consider that you are intaking lots of fluids and since your food intake is not much your body stores fluids and calories to survive. Your body is learning to adjust to a different life style. Also if you are not intaking enough fluids that can affect your progress. So do not stress over 4 days that you have not lost. Eventually weight loss will become slower but keep in mind that is not about how many pounds you lose but about the % of overweight that you have to lose. The more you lose, the smaller that percetange of exess weight you have to lose becomes. In my case I sometimes don't see any changes on the scale for days or even weeks but I can feel that my clothes fit better so I realize I am still losing inches. Don't feel discuraged or anxious, it is happening! just keep up the good work!!!!

probably varies. Mine lasted for two weeks.

@@Rogofulm, I don't even like the "bariatric master" blurb. By poking around the site last week, I discovered that one can write wthat would make one's heart happy by becoming a subscribing ("VIP") member of BP. Maybe I'll get a round tuit some time, as it's low-cost enough. My chosen blurb will make no reference to surgery. For now my priority is dealing with concussion and aches and pains. @@katanne, sorry to go on tangent so early in your thread. Blame the chap. @@Rogofulm, I don't even like the "bariatric master" blurb. By poking around the site last week, I discovered that one can write wthat would make one's heart happy by becoming a subscribing ("VIP") member of BP. Maybe I'll get a round tuit some time, as it's low-cost enough. My chosen blurb will make no reference to surgery. For now my priority is dealing with concussion and aches and pains. @@katanne, sorry to go on tangent so early in your thread. Blame the chap.

SimpleJax - you look great!!!! WTG!!!! I am amidst the dreaded stall as well I was sleeved on 12/27/12 and have lost 73-76 lbs depending on the day. However, I am in a much better place than I ever was pre-surgery. I am off all my meds- great success! I was a diet coke addict, now only drink water - exceptionally will have a diet soda with water in it. I know what I need to stop- I snack and graze a lot! And it's the wrong things- popcorn, peanuts, protein bars. I recognize what i am doing (success!)- now to put the fix in motion. I am determined to be down 40 before my cruise Sept 30.

Anyone else starting their liquid diets today? My surgery is on the 20th...it's gonna be a long 2 weeks but u guess its a good idea of how much life is REALLY going to change...best of luck to everyone especially my February sleevers

Hi everyone, I am in Northern Minnesota, and am super excited to be starting this journey towards my surgery. Many years ago I was ready to have the Lap Band done, and because of my insurance at the time, they didn't approve it for anyone. After having my hopes and dreams dashed so many years ago, I got back 'up on the horse' and am starting the process again, with insurance that will pay for it. It feels like a blessing because I now know that I wouldn't have wanted the Lap Band (hindsight is always 20/20 right?) So, I have my initial 2 hour appointment (1st hour with nurse and 2nd hour with dietician) coming up in about a week and a half, and am really looking forward to moving towards the goal of the VSG.

Hi everyone! This is my first time in the forum and my very first post! My journey has been long and hard and I have had to overcome more than my share of heartbreak and ache and loss, but I am still HERE! While I have spent my last 9 years raising my incredible and amazing little girl, it seems that I also forgot to remember to take care of myself through it all and that brings me to where I am today. I am 31 years old and I weigh 274 lbs... Just typing that number makes me ashamed and sort of sick... So before I go back and delete it, I will ask for words of advice. I know that most of us have our own stories, both good and bad that have brought us to the point which we are- here and today. We each have our own story and struggles that have caused us to reach out and take this huge leap into the gastric bypass world. Before last month I had never considered weight loss surgery, but at the end of my last dr appt, the form they gave me said MORBIDLY OBESE... The moment I saw it, tears filled my eyes and I walked to my car and had a good cry while trying to figure out where I had gone wrong... Was it my parents divorce when I was 16?, was it being pushed by my parents to a college I didn't want to attend?, was it my abusive ex husband? Was it baby weight still? Where did the 135lb 17 year old cheerleader who had a never ending smile go? When I stopped crying and wiped the tears off my face I realized that I was the ONLY person in my life who could change the way I feel and that in order to fix myself, I also needed to learn to love myself again. This is the beginning of my journey to find out who I really am and who I aspire to be.... I am NOT the fat girl in the corner who hides in baggy and black clothes, so I won't let that be me any longer. Tonight I took my first step in my new journey and attended a weight loss seminar through the medical group I will be using for my RN-Y gastric Bypass surgery... I am excited and nervous and apprehensive all at the same time!! The referral has been put through and I should be receiving a phone call within the next week to schedule my first visit with the surgeon, psych eval, nutritionist, etc- from there it is just a wait for the actual date!!! I am excited for my journey and I can't wait to find myself again along the way!! I know that I have the strength to get through this and get my life going again!!! Thanks so much for reading my story, and please please please, share your stories and triumphs and your journey with me as well! I think that having a support group will make the whole process that much more wonderful!!! Heidi - age 32 P.S. I can't run right now, my body hates me if I try... But I promise myself that if I get through this and I get healthy, I WILL learn to run each morning as the sun rises over the mountains in the town I live in!!!! Please help me reach these goals

I have five, 4 small ones (one right below my bra), and 3 in line with my larger incision in the upper part of my abdomen. I don't have a belly button incision.

I too have wondered about this. I am not really sure why it is done, or WHY I would want to do it. (Not being judgemental, just stating that this intrigues me, and I would love to hear from people as to why they did it.) I am losing slow, but I often hear people using this tool to get back to the basics to gain control over their eating again. My issue, as to why it may not help me, is I do have an extremely healthy diet and follow a lot if not all the rul. ...... um ok, some I don't follow hehe For those interested it can be found here http://www.5daypouchtest.com/ I am so curious about this. How is it going for you, I would love to hear form you <3

yupper, i did......chewable iron, b12 and adult vitamins and also my calcium.....i stopped 1 week prior per my surgeons' instructions and started up day after surgery.....(your dr/nutritionist will give you the info on the vits you need). hope this helps.

I took a week off and I walk at my job. I actually could've gone back a few days later but you are more tired then sore. My mom also had surgery and went back to a desk job within a few days.

For Roux en Y, ATLEAST 2 weeks. I'm taking 3 weeks off and I think it'll be perfect, although I wish I could take 4 off