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I do tend to weigh myself twice a week. I'm sure that doesn't help. But, it would if the scale would move. I just expected a faster response from the surgery. From October up to the two weeks before my surgery, I had lost nearly 70 lbs. Just from changing my diet and exercise. I'm still doing the same thing, but I'm eating less. May 8th I see the Doctor at the bariatric hospital I go to. That will be my 3 month post op appointment. I'll have another blood work-up then to see if there's any issues with nutrition and vitamin deficiency. I've lost over 100 lbs. since October, so that's definitely a big plus.

Ay, cheers to that! Yeah, patiently working towards that feeling of hitting that goal! I’m enjoying the NSVs. For example, being able to wrap a regular ‘ole towel all the way around me. I can definitely relate. Just last month, I hit a stall but it happens. Can you handle any type of carb based food? I ask because trying to talk to the NUT about reintroducing them in my diet.

My suggestion is to make sure you are tracking every bite, lick, and taste. Ensure you are hitting your protein goals, water goals, taking all your vitamins. Also making sure you moving at least 30min 5-6 days a week. Swimming is great, walking is great, anything that you can fit into your day. You got this! remember this is life long, and the journey is never straight down unfortunately. Utilize this tool and take advantage of the first year as much as you can. You got this!!! P.S your doing AMAZING!

I had my bypass a week before my 51st birthday. I am 4 weeks post op now and I can honestly say everything has gone text book. Did my tender age of 23 make a difference, I believe so because I am at that stage in life where I can just focus on me, and everyone else is able to look after themselves. I was one of the lucky ones as I had no pain afterwards, just a tiny bit of discomfort in my left side but not enough to warrant taking any pain meds. And I was expecting to feel like I had undergone 12 rounds with Muhammad Ali after being stabbed 6 times and my stomach cut apart. But maybe I have a higher pain threshold than most, I really don't know. Ok I will stop rambling now as i dont want to tempt fate. All the best Sent from my SM-S918B using Tapatalk

I have learned to deflect. - Aw thanks, I had a coat like that in the 60's Aw thanks, do you know you have something stuck in your teeth ? Aw thanks, I really wanted to say, did I see your husband/ wife at that charity singles dance last week ? He really is a good dancer. Aw thanks, Did you cut your own hair ? Aw thanks, I really needed a laugh today, I love it when people have been gossiping about me. I wonder who they are leaving alone today ?

an NSV in the same vein: vacation packing is soooooo much more satisfying. our smaller clothes take up way less room so we can either: (a) bring more clothes, yay! no need to pick and choose, just bring it all!! OR (b) bring smaller luggage, yay again! i have been on many vacations now (several of them for 2 weeks or longer) where i only needed a carry on for my stuff. Win!

The PPI won’t cause hunger. It reduces the acid in your tummy. You’re ahead of the game if you can differentiate between head & real hunger. Yay! Those distraction activities will help when you are experiencing head hunger. If you feel hungry after you’ve eaten, that’s head hunger too. Try a warm drink instead of a shake. They’re a meal replacement not a snack. Many are advised to wait at least three or four hours between eating & only three meals a day & maybe a snack. I still have times I can feel liquids go down. It’s a bit weird at first but now it’s just one of those things like my vey noisy, rumbling, grumbling tummy. Your experience last night sounds like late stage dumping not the foamies. The foamies (frothy, thick saliva & bringing up what you ate that was stuck or too coarse or too much) occurs pretty soon after you’ve eaten the offending food. Dumping symptoms can include chills, weakness, light headedness, nausea, bloating, heart palpitations & vomiting &/or diarrhoea. Dumping usually occurs if you eat foods that are too fatty, have too much sugar. Even dairy can cause it. It occurs when these foods go through your tummy to your intestines very quickly (dumps through your system). About 40% of bypass patients can experience dumping. Once you work out what causes yours, you can avoid those foods. Some say in time they work out how much of those foods they can eat without experiencing dumping. Worth a conversation with your team to diagnose & management.

When I first met with my dietitian she told me I would need to start my LSD 2 weeks prior to surgery but that it might be changing. When I had my last appointment and got my updated instructions, i don't have to start my diet until 8/13, 4 days before surgery. I have 2 days of protien shakes, broth based soup for dinner and two days of clears. I've started stockpiling things like bone broth and they had a sale on Snack Packs (sugar free pudding) at Kroger so I bought a BUNCH of those. I don't want to overbuy so I'm trying to be smart about what I get.

once you get that far out, you have to play around with different calorie ranges to figure out about how many calories you need to eat to maintain your weight, and how many to lose. That range really varies for everyone depending on sex, age, activity level, metabolic level, how muscular you are, what weight you'd like to be at, etc (e.g., you can eat more if you're fine with weighing 180 lbs as opposed to 130 lbs). I can maintain my current weight by eating about 1600 calories - although I can eat a bit more if I'm exercising a lot. To lose, I have to go below 1600. And since I'm pretty close to a normal BMI, I'd have to eat quite a bit less than 1600 to lose a somewhat noticeable amount each week (otherwise, I'm losing just a couple of ounces - and it's hard to distinguish that from normal fluctuations). There are some women on here who can eat 2000 calories to maintain, and others who can only eat 1200. It's really sort of trial and error given how far you're out from surgery. Maybe start with a range - like 1300-1500 and do that for a couple of weeks. If your weight isn't budging, drop the range down by 100 calories. Rinse and repeat until you start losing weight again. P.S. if. you're losing inches but gaining weight, it could be that you're putting on muscle. Or if you've recently started doing more and/or heavier lifting, it could be that your muscles are holding on to more water (since they need water to repair themselves). If that's what's going on, once your muscles are used to that level, your weight should start dropping again.

I start my pre op diet this week. I have everything. This is my second time with the diet. Last month surgery was cancelled the day prior due to lab work. So im back on track and scheduled 5/10. Nice to read all of your posts. I watched a couple of surgery videos today too.

Honestly this has been the absolute bane of my life. I am 4 weeks post-surgery and although I seem to be having a bowel movement every day or every other day, I was so so constipated. TMI here but It got to the point that I had an anal fissure and was passing blood every time I had a bowel movement. Needless to say, I am taking daily Dulcolax now and I will be doing so until I am able to eat more & include more fibre in my diet.

I did the same - I had my husband take pictures of me every month on my surgery date until I hit maintenance 20 months later. It's much easier to see your progress if you can refer back to previous photos. You can't always tell a difference from month to month, but comparing photos to ones taken three or four months earlier - yep - you can definitely see the difference! Plus it's great having photo documentation of your journey! Congrats, by the way - you're doing great!

Didn’t have one but I understood if you are to experience one it usually occurs in the first few days. While you need to seek help as soon as possible if you suspect a leak, they are usually repaired fairly easily via an endoscopy. You’ll likely be on antibiotics after to ensure any infection is cleared. I have three friends who’ve had sleeve surgery too & none of them at one either. They’re pretty rare I think like 1%. And even rarer if you have one in the years post surgery. Leaks occur because of a suture/staple failure, tissue decomposition, patient health prior to surgery affecting healing like a history of smoking or high blood pressure, food choices (not following your plan), excessive activity to strain & cause trauma to the area.

Thanks @FifiLux, @SleeveToBypass2023and @NeonRaven8919 for your posts. Some excellent questions which I will note down because I have a mind like a sieve at the moment and information falls out of my head as soon as it enters it! As you said @FifiLuxI have a lot of information from the team already so it’s putting it in to some sort of sense for me now - LOL! I’ve received an electronic copy of my appointment letter with the name of the surgeon I will be seeing and so no hesitation - straight on t’internet to find out what I could. From what I’ve read, he is experienced in all things gastric and Bariatric. Hubby seems to think that he whipped out my gall bladder last year (same surgeon team) but I honestly cannot remember, what with writhing around in pain at the time of seeing him 🙄 Anyway, his CV seems very impressive so that’s reassuring. @SleeveToBypass2023- exactly that - nervous, excited and freaking out a little! @FifiLux- my new, pretty scales are here. I’ve got the basics set up but not the all-signing, all-dancing bits to them just yet. I definitely like the bigger, light-up numbers on them, saves squinting while trying to make out the numbers (don’t wear my glasses obviously because that 50gms or so that they weigh will make all the difference when weighing in 🙄) @NeonRaven8919 the LRD I have to do is 3 weeks. I did tell the dietitian that as long as I had 3 weeks plus 1 days notice of any last minute cancellations for surgery then I was good to go. Thankfully hubby will hoover up any foods that I won’t be eating so there won’t be any waste. I’m just hoping that the surgeon is happy, the MDT all agree and (a bit of wishful thinking I know) I’m able to have surgery this side of Christmas.

I am three years post op and I can drink while eating but I don’t recommend it. For one, I’m pretty confident my pouch was left bigger than most since I was always able to eat more than expected from day one. For two, I gained my weight back and this could have contributed. I am thinking I am doing a revision and the PA reminded me I should be doing all those things such as the 30:30:30 (30 before and after with no water and take at least 30 minutes to eat your meal). They haven’t checked it yet but if it is possible to stretch the sleeve in any way, I worry that I have stretched mine. Regardless, he explained that the purpose of not doing both even once you have room is because the liquid flushes the food through your system quicker so you don’t feel full as long. In terms of the size bites you can take they will gradually increase BUT, ideally you will still stay with “normal” sized bites but with time in between so that full signal can get to your brain. Hopefully others can Learn from my mistakes. Apparently they make these rules for a reason 😔

I am almost two and a half years post sleeve. At your stage I was eating around 800 calories I think, but if I've learned anything it's that we're all totally different! Well into maintenance, my typical day is: Breakfast: full cream milk latte. I have never eaten breakfast at breakfast time and never will. Mid morning: one or two fried or scrambled eggs, depending on how hungry I am. Generally one. Lunch: a salad with some protein (last night's dinner meat, tinned tuna or deli meat - sometimes cheese). Or more often soup - usually homemade and usually with either chicken or pulses for protein. Or occasionally, if I'm feeling really lazy and can take the sugar hit, 100g tinned baked beans with cheese and hot sauce. Snacks, probably three a day at this point: cheese (and usually a couple of crackers with that); 150mls [approx] full cream milk kefir or a kefir yoghurt; nuts (30g approx); seeds (20g probably); deli meat; fruit (I eat at least one portion of berries or an apple every day). I tend to keep lots of meat snacks in the fridge as they're filling and help me reach my protein goal. Dinner: whatever I've cooked for everyone else but without the carb element, or just a tiny bit. Basically protein and veg - in that order. But that includes fried chicken, bolognese, casseroles, sausages, roast dinners, fish pie (no potato topping) - everything I used to eat before my sleeve. Supper: I do most of my carb intake here. Toast and butter, porridge (oatmeal to you lot) with stewed fruit, crackers with butter (or cheese if I haven't cheesed out by then). Exercise: I do a 1 hour aerobic exercise class 3 days a week. I walk between 2 and 4 miles every day and I jog about a mile once or twice a week instead of walking. I am still amazed by what my new body can do. I probably should do more. This is my diet 90% of the time. I have lots of days when I stray badly off the path and eat chips (crisps) and occasionally chocolate. I also drink wine every weekend, which I accept is totally empty calories with no nutritional value. I just track everything and try to adjust if I can. I've had a couple of regains of a few pounds now (4ish), but so far I've been able to jump on those, ditch the rubbish (carbs mainly), up my exercise and get back to 140 or thereabouts. It's no problem at all - a couple of weeks of being more vigilant about what goes into my mouth and a few runs instead of walks. I really hope I can keep doing that. I may have to accept that my set weight is higher than 140 but I am loving it here!

I was at probably 200 calories at the two month mark. I'm not sure how they expect you to be consuming 1000 calories a day! I'm almost 7 months post op and not able to get to even 900 calories a day (mind you I workout hard at least 4 days a week, I lift and do Pilates and run and all sorts of cardio). It's a struggle to eat enough, and what I learnt is that I will not force myself to eat any more than I can, I will get there eventually so what is the point of rushing? I would say eat what you can and don't force it, the whole point of surgery is to eat less 🤣

OMG, I think I love you! Thank you so much for such a thoughtful and comprehensive reply. I'm taking a PPI twice a day. Maybe I need to eat 1/4 cup more often. I'm eating that much about 4 times a day and you've suggested 5-6. Your explanation about swelling and healing is super helpful. I'll try the Millie's broth. I'm about to move on to soft foods and maybe that will help, too. I'm encouraged to hear that even after stalls you can have big drops--I have been so worried that I did this and now I'm just going to lose a pound or so a month again. At that rate it will take me almost 4 years to lose the remaining 40 lbs! You can imagine why I'd be discouraged. It's good to know hunger will return to normal too. I realize I'll have to eat more frequent smaller meals. Thank you again for your supportive and reassuring post. ❤️

Hi! I had VGS on 8/23/23. 4 weeks from surgery TODAY! I feel great. The past few days have been weird, though. I can't eat or drink as much as I have been able to the past 2 weeks. I used to be able to somewhat easily get down a protein shake in 30 minutes. Now it takes me a few hours. Does that sound right? I don't feel sick or anything. It just feels like I am going backwards. Should I be concerned about this? Anyone had similar experiences? Thanks for your help!! Melanie

i had my surgery in january 10, 2024 after catching covid and being hospitalized for a week the weight loss began i was impressed. i was 280 lbs by march. it just kept going down but then it stopped at 256 which it has been for a month now. what can i do to make it start going down again? what can i eat for lunch and dinner? what foods should i cut out? i already cut out rice and potatoes despite being told its safe to eat. all i got access to here is a pool, will swimming help?

In awe of how you are looking and the work you are putting in. Please share away I am months ahead of you on the op date but months behind on exercising as I was so ill and had no energy really until a couple of months ago and still just building my energy up. I also don't think I could do all that you do on my own, as much as I try to motivate myself as it is just me I find it too easy to find something else to do instead of exercise. The gyms near me are expensive, I think, between €50 and €75 every two weeks but I think after my holidays next month I will sign up if they allow just a few months membership at a time to see what I can do. I really need to tone my legs and arms.

Hellooooooo So I'm one week shy of being 7 months post op, and for those 7 months I have avoided sugar like the plague except for some rare occasions where I was traveling and the European country I was in was famous for desserts that I would order and only have a miniscule bite of. On one occasion I got excited and had 3 bites and thought I was fine. 10 minutes later I started feeling extremely nauseous that I was almost dry heaving, I started walking back to the hotel and after 1 kilometer I felt much better so I guessed that was dumping! Not fun Yikes! So fast forward this week, and it is that time of the month and I was craving some chocolate, so I picked a 72% dark chocolate square which I had with a few roasted cashews (to manage the blood sugar spike) and guess what? 10 minutes later I am extremely nauseous and queasy that my skin was crawling. I was at my desk and got up and walked back and forth but to no success. It lasted a good half an hour/40 minutes and it only fully subsided midway through my Pilates class. Does this happen to anyone? The chocolate square barely had any sugar! Will I ever be able to have a little fun? A tiny slice of cake for my birthday? Ice cream? Anything? I don't crave sugar anymore but I like to taste things and take bites here and there especially when I'm travelling/out for a nice meal (which is often).

I'm losing inches. Which means it's going in the right direction. Also since I'm still 5 weeks out everything is still healing and getting used to the bypass.

The 1st few days are rough. Consentrat on protein and liquids right now. The protein shakes can be counted as liquid. The first few weeks I only got between 700 and 900 calories day. Just don’t go on a binge. I need a bunch of crap and you will be fine.

I've heard stories of ppl who go to other countries for facial plastics..then they can't get home because they don't match their passports! Id''s should be ears, they're more reliable for identification than fingerprints, or start putting fingerprints on id's with scanners at airports IF you can get past the civil liberties issues. I personally am waiting until I hit my goal to avoid the constant hassle. Although, I met up with a friend last week after not seeing her for a few months - she walked right past me! I had to call out to her she said she didn't recognize me at all. So, I suppose I'll need to get id's done soon.