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Hello Everyone: I am getting my gastric band removed on May 17 and going with the gastric sleeve as per my surgeon's suggestion. He feels I will do well with it. I managed to lose 150lbs with the band ( surgeon told me it was not a typical result). I started having trouble getting food to go down. I guess I created a pouch and have a lot of scar tissue. Had to have all the fluid taken out of the band while I was in Nevada. The surgeon performing this (not easy to find anyone in Las Vegas who would even look at removing the fluid) advised what was going on. There are only 5% of surgeons still installing the band in the entire country. Many, many complications with it. I was fine until a year ago. Had fluid put in (the doctor back home put too much in), then the chest and back pains started. Food would go down sometimes and sometimes not. I managed to regain 15lbs. Struggling every day. I hope the revision to the sleeve will be a success.

So it's supposed to be at least 2 hours between iron and calcium and I think the same for calcium and calcium as your body can only absorb about 500 mg at a time. I take my multivitamin in the morning. Not quite first thing, as I take my probiotic/prebiotic first on an empty stomach, then usually have a proffee or reg coffee depending on the day. I am currently on 2 calcium chews a day, so I split that between midday and nighttime. I was first taking a bariatric multivitamin w/iron and 3 calcium chews a day. At my 8th month post-op checkup, my vitamin D levels were on the higher end of normal so my dietician wanted me to cut back. So I had to switch to a regular multivitamin (bariatric has 3000iu of Vit D) and cut back on the calcium chews since they also have about 800 iu each of vitamin d. Even though in my diet I get in quite a bit of calcium rich foods, I was advised to continue with the 2 chews a day as unfortunately a blood test doesn't give a clear picture of what is happening in the body calcium wise. If you are deficient in calcium, your body will pull it from your bones. The blood work will look good as it is getting calcium, but slowly your bones are getting weaker. It's usually not until it's too late that you may be aware with teeth, bone and other body issues.

we were told taking vitamins (and other supplements) was for life. The malabsorption of vitamins with either RNY or DS (and its other versions - like SADI) is permanent. That said, I was told by my endocrinologist (whom I see for osteoporosis) not to take calcium supplements anymore, because I was spilling a ton of it in my urine, and my blood levels of that and that other value (forget which one it is - but it's the one that indicates whether your body is leeching calcium from your bones) indicated I had hypercalcemia - which can damage your kidneys. I have my levels tested regularly, and it's clear that my body is absorbing enough calcium from my food - but I think I'm an exception.

I honestly don't take an extra calcium anymore. I take the bariatric multivitamin w/ iron in the morning and that's it. I was told once you hit 6 months out, you don't need it anymore because you'll get what you need from your food. Hmmm...I wonder if I should ask about it again.

Oh I was just full on starving on day one of my pre op diet! hope you're doing OK. It settled around day 4 or 5 when I got into ketosis and after that I could relax a little. After your surgery is when you really see the difference I think. I was a lucky person whose hunger didn't return for many months but when it did I knew the difference. I agree with the others - if you can use the time you get to retrain your body to expect wholesome nutritious foods then you should do really well. I wish you the best of luck. It's a hell of a ride.

Tomorrow is the big day! May 1. May Day! On the liver shrinking diet, the first two days and the last two days were the hardest. The first two days, I was ravenous and it took every ounce of willpower I had not to eat. By day 3, it wasn't a big deal. My particular diet called for 3 shakes, 1 serving of protein mix soup, a protein bar, a banana (for the potassium), and up to 3 sugar free gelatines. Plus as much zero cal clear drink I could stand. By day 3, I LIVED for that banana and protein bar. These last two days with no solid food at all has been tough. My sense of smell has ramped up significantly. Everything smells fantastic! I'll provide an update after the procedure is finished and I'm lucid again. I'm somewhat nervous about the discomfort, but I'm sure I'll be able to weather it. Wish me luck!

Wow well done guys, sounds amazing progress I had my surgery 6 days ago… I’m sipping around a litre of protein water and tried to have a bit of really thin soup with some added protein powder but I’m really struggling with the pain as the food / water makes its way down - really hindering me reaching the intakes I should be. Still, I just keep telling myself it is what it is, I keep trying and I’m sure my body will heal enough to get what I need soon.

You're correct to be aware of bathroom issues but it's not a serious consideration for having the surgery. Consider yourself more lactose intolerant among a few other things and just eat around certain foods. The heavy consumption of fruit is important for me for hydration and feeling satisfied with food. The only gas triggers are grapes (red & green). I still eat them at home but not if I'm going to be in an office or public area like the gym. No issue eating berries, oranges, pinneapple, peaches, mango, grapefruit and most others. I'm not kidding about eating at least 20lbs a week of fruit, often way more. It's great for supplementing hydration and satisfies a sweet craving.

Hi, welcome! I read the posts here a lot before my first post too and felt like I knew everyone even though they didn't know me! LOL It is a funny feeling... My first thought is you aren't eating enough to be physically active. The body is pretty particular about how much energy it gets and after bariatric surgery our metabolism gets a nice reset (it is part of what helps us lose the weight) but to maintain that nice, new metabolism we need to EAT. And what is enough when you are mildly active isn't near enough when you are doing things that strain your heart, muscles, and burn a good bit of fuel. So I agree with the above, I'd eat more on days you work out. 65 grams of protein isn't enough for working out, I'd add in at least a protein shake, a little healthy fat, and some complex carbs. Second, it is normal to stall for a few weeks at any point, but it is especially normal if you start working out, or if you increase your workouts. This is because it changes the fluid balance in our bodies and the body takes a bit to even out. Some people even see increases on their scale when they start adding in more workouts! So if that happens, don't panic. We can also stall when our food intake changes. This is commonly seen when you go from fluids to solid food, but it can also happen if you jump in calories at any point, even if it is a needed point. My stalls seem to last for 6 weeks at a time. It is super irritating. At 4 months out you are not likely to be done losing weight yet. You may lose a little bit more. But weight loss slows WAY down the closer to goal we get and you are on the small end at this point so I wouldn't be surprised if it slows now. The most rapid weight loss is the first 3 months, then it tapers off slowly depending on how much you need to lose. Since you are used to being at the lower end of your BMI it is reasonable to expect you may drop a bit more to have the space you want if you rebound some. Just be careful not to starve yourself to get those extra lbs off, if it isn't sustainable for your body you'll really have to fight for it and it could damage that nice new metabolism in the process! Oh, and weight redistributes after weight loss. So you may look a little thin now and it may balance out a bit in the next year. This happens especially around the face for some people.

Nah, I haven't had any issues with this post-op once I was past the nausea phase 3 months out. And OMG sex is so much better with less weight on your body! My boobs don't try to suffocate me quite as much... 😂 Maybe your tummy is just having an emo week? Go to bland foods for a few days to see if it settles down. I always revert back to plain foods when mine gets cranky pants, it seems to do the trick.

A good way to remember the difference is to ask yourself "Is this processed? If so, how much?" For instance, white flour is a simple carb, it has had the fiber and such stripped from it, which causes the carbohydrate in it to hit the system faster and spike blood sugar rapidly. Stone ground whole wheat flour is more of a complex carb, because it has the fiber intact along with all the nutrients that come with it and spikes the blood sugar less rapidly because of that fiber slowing the release. Eating it with protein and fat will slow the spike of blood sugar even further. Potato chips? Simple carb--they are white, starchy, and fried. A baked sweet potato? Technically a complex carb, though it does have a lot of sugar in it. Still, much better choice nutritionally than potato chips! Most fruits and vegetables are complex carbs, as their fiber and nutrients are intact. But some can be higher in sugar than others, so it is good to be mindful of their glycemic load as well. Whole grains like quinoa or brown rice and beans are complex carbs, though due to their high carb content they are best eaten in moderation. Most white, starchy, processed things you buy in boxes or bags are simple carbs. Cakes, cookies, white rice, sugar, semolina pasta, ice cream, all simple carbs. Most SADI and DS patients have issues with simple carbs causing gas, or large amounts of complex carbs. So, a big slice of cake may cause gas. A large fruit salad could also cause gas. Their sugar sources are different, but the digestive system sees sugar as sugar and reacts in kind. Apples in chicken salad? Probably fine once you are far enough out to digest fruit. A wedge of watermelon with a bunless hamburger? Also fine once you are far enough out to digest fruit. A few bites of cake or fruit salad? That may also be fine if you are able to practice restraint! Personally, at 6 months out, I have never had any issues with onions like I used to. But I cannot eat beans in any form, not even pureed on the soft food diet, they immediately went through me and caused gas! I can eat small amounts of a cooked fruit, like blueberry muffins, or frozen blueberries microwaved and stirred into yogurt. But I cannot yet eat fresh/frozen fruit. The nutritionist suspects it is because berries are really fiber dense. This is likely to change in the next year. But that first 18 months is prime weight loss time and prime weight loss is boosted by being in ketosis, which means I have to keep my fruit portions small anyways for now. Once I'm at maintenance I'll worry about adding fruit and complex carbs in. Right now I focus on protein, then low starch veggies, then a bit of starch if I have room, like a bite or two of potatoes (I'm Irish, I can't cut them out forever), or a few bites of quinoa.

I can relate to being afraid of gaining weight after working so hard to lose it. We all deal with that here. But it's a fine line between being mindful about it and developing disordered eating habits. I can speak to this because it happened to me. I was dropping weight like a champ, then I hit stall after stall, and each one lasted longer than the previous one. And I would panic. And I would restrict the amount I ate, I would kick up the intensity and frequency of my work outs. I would have anger and confusion and fear anytime I either didn't lose or I gained a little (turns out, I'm one of the ones that gains 3-5 pounds during a stall and then just sits there for weeks and weeks. Then when the stall breaks, I drop like 6-7 pounds all at once). I had to actually go to a therapist that specializes in bariatric disordered eating (not easy to find, btw) to get my head on straight. And it's still a struggle sometimes. Especially since these last 11 pounds absolutely fight me tooth and nail and just don't want to come off. I said all that to say just be very careful. I never started out intending to have these issues. I thought I'd have the surgery, lose the weight, get healthy, and bada-boom bada-bing, life would be great. But it's never that cut and dry, is it? We can become obsessed with losing the weight, seeing how low we can get the scale, getting into that lower size, looking thinner, never gaining weight again, getting that bmi just a little lower.....and before you know it, you have a whole new eating disorder that's even harder to get out of and we're doing even more damage to our bodies without even meaning to. And we can justify what we're doing because HEY, we got off our meds, we're getting healthier, we're losing the weight, we're EXTENDING OUR LIVES damn it!!! And that's harder to overcome and harder to recognize and going too far than being obese is. We knew we needed help. We knew we were doing wrong. That's why we had the surgery. But now? Now it gets harder to see what we're doing because HEALTH!! WEIGHT LOSS IS GOOD!!! NO MORE MEDS IS THE GOAL!!! JUST A LITTLE MORE WEIGHT OFF CAN'T POSSIBLY BE BAD!!! So please please just be really careful with where you're at now and where you're wanting to get to. Lastly, on the days you're working out (especially the really hard weight days) increase your protein and calories. Your body thinks it's starving, so you need to reassure it that you're not. The heavier the work out, the more your body needs. You can't run a car without gas and you can't run your body without food. So give it what it needs, in the amounts it needs, and it'll do what you want it to. Make sure you also have a larger amount of fluids than you normally would on those days, too. Dehydration can really do a number on the body, as well.

I had a nice trip to Nantucket for the Daffodil festival this weekend. Lots of meals out. I had chicken teriyaki, poached eggs and kielbasa, smoked bluefish pate, mozzarella and beet salad, and scallops with bacon among other things. Got in lots of walking. Weight was unchanged this morning, but I'm curious if that is a mix of not enough water and too much salt from so many restaurant meals. So we'll see what a couple days of regular routine does for me. I'm grateful I have had no issues with foods for almost 2 weeks now. Hoping that means my stomach is finally healing properly.

Congratulations on your loss and thanks for your input (I love your comparison to driving instructors who have never actually drove). If you don’t mind me asking does that amount of fruit cause bathroom issues? I think it was the fiber that I read if you have too much after SADI it causes malodorous gas. Also, can you please give me an example of a day for you (in terms of food)?

You can start taking capsules again whenever you’re cleared to take pills again. I was cleared a month post-op. Alternatively, use dandelion root tea. I’ve been drinking that stuff for years. If you don’t have a back yard full of “supply” to dig up and hang to dry, you can usually buy it loose or in tea bags at your local health food store. 😉 As far as safety is concerned, I can’t think of any reason you shouldn’t use it.

I had VSG in 2017 and found myself pregnant with my first! I have not taken vitamins as I was supposed to post op. But I have been taking prenatal vitamins since finding out. I lost a total of 150lbs since surgery, and this last year another 20 due to stress. I’m concerned the weight loss will continue (I know I’m just stressing more, it’s kind of my thing) For you bariatric mommies, were you able to hold enough food for you and the baby?

1). I lost 16 lbs the entire first MONTH, and I went on to lose over 200 lbs. Most of us seem to lose somewhere in the 15-25 lb range the first month (yes - MONTH). So unless you're an outlier or the size of someone on "My 600 lb Life", you are doing very well! 2). sounds like you are experiencing the infamous "Three-week stall" right now - right on time, too! The vast majority of us hit our first major stall within the first month or so after surgery - and it's usually the third week;, hence, the name. If you google the site for the three-week stall, you will find something like 17,000 posts on it (and no, I am NOT kidding). A slight bump-up in weight is not unusual, either. It's almost certainly just water weight. The best thing to do is to continue to stick to your program and stay off the scale for a few days. As long as you remain compliant with your program, the stall will break and you'll be on your way again. It usually takes 1-3 weeks. 3). you won't feel much (if any) restriction or "full" until you move to solid foods. Liquids go right through you, and purees pass through pretty quickly, too. Plus you had nerves cut during surgery, and it takes awhile for them to start to regenerate. You'll feel it fairly soon. However, "full" doesn't always feel the same way for many of us that it did before surgery. I don't feel "full" the same way at all - it's more a discomfort - sort of like pressure - in my chest. Once I start feeling that, I know I'd better stop eating or I'm going to be sorry. Others have even weirder full signals - like a runny nose or sneezing.

Thanks. I did get a reply from someone with DS and she said that she thinks that my dietician is wrong about the fat and the carbs. For her those Carbs are too high and the fat is too low (which makes sense if the absorption is less of everything except for carbs with that surgery. I thought it was pretty crazy for two scrambled eggs to be all the fat I could have for the whole day with any surgery. I have an appointment with the surgeon on Monday and I’m going to ask him if I can maybe set an appt to talk to him about nutrition or if he has another suggestion since that dietician seems to be misinformed when it comes to this surgery as well. . If she doesn’t even know the general guidelines she certainly isn’t going to be able to answer questions about specific foods. I did see some information online about the post op diet from a bariatric center in Mexico that goes over specific foods that are more or less tolerated which I will try to find again ask him to review but that’s the most information I found and it doesn’t mention macros at all.

I am a stubborn b**ch so I used that strength to get me through on the days I knew what was going on but a lot of the time I had no idea how sick I was. It was only afterwards I found out how bad I was and how worried all my family and friends were. I didn't mention it above but I also had a blood infection and then an allergic reaction to one of the medications - basically anything that could go wrong/happen did. They couldn't do the feeding tube via my arms as my arms got infected and the veins collapsed, I think I had 8 different IVs in my ams over the months, they just kept switching from left to right until all veins had collapsed. I ended up having to have blood draws from my foot at one point and had my IV in my neck. I actually thought I was going to be physically ill when the first told me they had to put the IV in my neck and had to be given a xanex to calm down and go to the the procedure room but it was actually ok then afterwards and so much easier than my arms. I know what you mean about the health anxiety side of things, I was worried about everything when I came home finally, it was a shock to my system to suddenly be without the constant checks from nurses and doctors and not know if a little twinge or cough etc was a bad sign or just normal. I had to take my blood pressure during the day and do temperature checks to make sure I was at a normal range. I was also afraid to go for a walk of a few minutes in case I then didn't have the strength to get back home so I just walked the bus route on my road as figured if I could walk to the end of the road and get stuck I would just get the bus back. Now I can do 1.5km or so around the block at a steady pace. I am not sure where you are in the food reintroduction phase but once you are able to eat more protein it should also help with the energy levels but I do think rest is key. Once I got into a decent sleeping pattern again, took a few months at home after the nurses rounds at 11pm 4am 7am etc., I really saw the improvements in my energy. That is great that you got the appointment for next week. Just keep asking them to check everything and be honest with them about your fears so they can discuss with you. Just give it time and let your body recover, it has been through a shock to the system with the weight loss and then the infection on top. I figure my horror show can only help others to not feel as bad if they are struggling a bit. It has taken me a long time to start to feel better and more positive but I think I have turned a corner in the last couple of weeks.

I’m trying my best to mimic what I will be eating post surgery and today I logged my food and just mostly paid attention to carbs and protein. I logged but otherwise ignored the fat for now since I thought she was wrong. In the morning I had a protein shake with coffee. For lunch I had two scrambled eggs with Turkey sausage, morning Snack was a dannon light and fit yogurt, dinner was taco salad with pepper, onion, 1/3 cup cheese, 1/4 avacado and 4 oz lean taco meat. Then a chobani flip yogurt for snack which is the worst thing of the day because of that little bit of chocolate and peanut butter I guess. Anyways i added that to be 61g carbs (23 was that yogurt), 54.4g fat, and 105.5g protein. I am thinking I was close. Maybe adding a little more healthy fat such as more avocado or cheese or cooking with olive oil instead of pam spray and then switching out that evening yogurt with a lower carb one and I would’ve been pretty close to you. I realize as I’m going over this that I’m going to have to tweak this quite a bit for a smaller pouch if my surgeon re-sleeves me which I hope he does. This is going to take some time to figure out. Thank you so much for all of your help.

Does anyone know what is involved in the pre-op appointment? Mine is Monday (April 29), and they told me it would be about 4 hours long, but it didn't occur to me to ask what will happen. I mostly work from home, but had to dig out work clothes for a week in the office last week. Every evening I would come home and think "well, that's probably the last time I will ever wear that." I am having more clothes funerals than food funerals.

Okay so I am still so terrible with this stuff but my dietician makes it seem so much more confusing and I really need to understand this so I can get it right this time. I asked her what my requirements would be post SADI surgery and she said 1000-1200 calories 90g protein 90 carbs (45 fruit and veggies and 45 from starch), and 15g fat. I am trying to eat similar to that now to see what it’s like and I am logging my food. I figured my portions will be a little larger so I won’t be able to hit the exact goals but wanted to see where I am. This morning I did great with my protein iced coffee which is just a caramel shake with some coffee mixed in. Low calorie and carb and high protein. This afternoon however I thought I would have 2 scrambled eggs and one Turkey sausage Patty. The calories and carbs are fine but it seems like Either that fat goal is unrealistic or the protein goal is from normal food if there is really 15g of fat in two scrambled eggs and only like 13 grams of protein? Even if I forget the 7g of fat leaving out the Turkey sausage just two eggs is too much fat for one meal and reduces the protein. I hate egg whites but assumed two scrambled eggs would be okay. I know post surgery I will not eat two whole eggs which will reduce the fat some but also the protein. Could i add protein powder to the egg or something? Maybe an egg and a yogurt would be a better option? Or Do I have to just suck it up and eat the egg whites. She also said something about three teaspoons of “healthy fat” and I’m not sure if that’s in addition to the 15g of mono and polyunsaturated fat or if 15 is the total which may be where I’m getting confused. I just emailed her asking for clarification but last time it took her like two weeks to get back to me so I figured I’d see if anyone else can make sense of this.

I had surgery on 4/8/24. I had a bypass. I am able to drink fluids with no restrictions. I'm on the puree stage. At 2 weeks out I have only lost 16 pounds. The last 3 days the scale actually went up 2 lb. I'm not going to lie. This is an uncomfortable feeling. Specially because I'm sticking with Drs orders. I do notice that even though I eat 3 ounces of food and try to keep up with my fluid intake I don't get a "full" feeling. It does not take me a long time to eat. So I'm not sure how to feel about that.

Had gastric bypass Feb. 7th. My food intake is hot and cold at times. The last few weeks I've felt like I needed to eat more often. Not more volume, just spread it out more to fuel myself. I've been exhausted lately. I think spreading out my meals has helped some. You should try the baritastic app. I've used that since October. The dietician at the bariatric center can see the food and drinks that I log. But it's a good app just for yourself as well to keep track.