Search the Community

Vitamins I am currently taking: 1 chewable Bariatric multi-vitamin. I only need one per day and I take it in the morning. 2 1000IU Vitamin D. I try to take these in the morning, but lately they have been feeling a little stuck so I might switch to doing these in the middle of the day. sublingual B12. I take one per day and I take it in the morning. At week 6, I will be starting a liquid fish oil supplement and Calcium. My doctor requires that his patients supplement the food with Protein shakes, until we are able to get 65 grams of protein per day from food. He said that can take several months to get away from them completely. I consume anywhere from 400 to 700 calories per day. This happens to be the "normal" range my nutritionist suggested, but also reiterated that we shouldn't be tracking calories. My doc only cares about Fluid ounces and protein right now. To me, if I don't have the calorie count, I just don't feel "right" about it. I am eating a lot of different things in this stage, but this is my current list of soft foods I have on hand at my house. refried Beans (not as much as the last stage of the diet) low fat cottage cheese (not as much as the last stage of the diet) 0% Greek yogurt (not as much as the last stage of the diet) sugar free pudding (not as much as the last stage of the diet) imitation crab meat Johnsonville deli bites Spicy black bean burgers (the spice isn't actually spicy at all - the nut suggested this flavor) avocado and guacamole (I use this as a little topping to the black bean burger) IKEA Swedish meatballs ground seasoned tofu-like stuff (I got this at WalMart in the produce section. It's weird, but it is high in protein and tastes okay when you mix a little shredded cheese) shredded cheese (not very much though) fresh mozzarella pearlines (tiny, tiny little balls of fresh mozz) homemade chili with beans and ground beef very thinly sliced chicken breast deli meat (I've tried a couple different flavors and the key is having the deli person cut it as thin as possible) I also add Protein powder, Just Great Stuff powdered Peanut Butter (like PB2), and Just Great Stuff powdered chocolate peanut butter to things like yogurt and pudding.

So I'm only 5 weeks out and already my scalp has gotten burnt! my hair has always been so thick this never could have happened.....now I loose so much everyday I'm ready to just cut it off. It's almost to my waist, but don't know what else to do. I take Biotin. I get my protein. I knew this was going to happen, but at 5 weeks-I wasn't ready to loose my hair! :'(

Yup, when i was 2 weeks out i had lost 20 lbs and at 7 weeks out i had lost 53lb. . . all together now at 17months i've lost 150 lbs. . . and now i'm stablized and am between 5 lbs either way. . won't go down anymore. . . but that is ok, cause i'm happy with myself and am happy with how i look. . . .it's tons better then 350lbs!!!! at least now i can breath!

Yeah, I freaked out the first three months. I had really high expectations. I see my aunt who has been out 2+ years and she still loses a little here and there. I just take a moment to realize I eat way better than I ever did. I eat way less than I ever did. and I exercise way more than I ever did. I feel better than I have in years and look better too. I will be satisfied that this is where I am at this moment. And for the first time I will look forward to the future. chin up!

Welcome to the healing side of things. I am 1-week post op today and had this same issue. Just as Arabesque said, mixing them with your shake or some soup is a great idea. My nutritionist also said using a little sugar free Jello works too. Jello essentially melts in our mouth and stomach so it's ok for phase 2. Congratulations and well wishes on your recovery.

I am 25 days post op. I lost 18lbs preop, 11lbs by 11 days postop and then bam... Stalled. I've lost 1.5lbs in 2 weeks. I am on full liquids consisting of 3 protien drinks and 2 yogurts a day. It's so disappointing to be on such a restrictive diet and not lose the weight. The nutritionist tells me it's normal. At this point, I regret having the procedure done.

I had my sleeve done 3 months ago. I lost a ton of Water weight right away (about 18 pounds) and then my body said, whoa, and I lost nothing for the next month. Now, I'm finding that I am dropping weight at about 2-3 pounds a week. I get my protien in by drinking only 1 shake a day that has 30 grams of protien, and then eating the rest. The best shake I found is from costco. It's called Premier Protein & it comes in chocolate & vanilla (or at least that's all they stock!). I only like it cold, so i may have 1/2 in the morning for my Breakfast & a few hours later drink the rest as my snack. Of course it takes me about a half hour to do so each time. I have been eating a small can of tuna around 2 p.m. for my lunch - which has 12 grams of protien & I use a smidgen of mayo (you still need some fat) turning it into a wrap w/ one romain lettuce leaf. Then I eat a small dinner w/ my family & then a fruit snack or cheese stick if i'm short on protien at the end of the day. Best thing is, I don't feel deprived, I'm trying to move more & it's working. I think the plateau I hit after the first few weeks was just the body getting used to the new eating plan & I also gained a pound or 2 in the beginning, but it's just that I wasn't drinking enough. I returned to my unsweetened ice tea (that I love) and found I was drinking more & the pounds started dropping again. Good luck!

I'm 16, had my surgery on March 27th, 2014. After the operation my face has been extremely oily, where I needed to wash my face at least three times a day. Is this common? If not, what is the problem? Thank you!

Sounds like you had quite a big surgery. For them to say it isn't enough is ridiculous. Your body is healing. It scares me how calories driven it is in the US. Here in Austria we started normal food with restrictions after 4 days. Everything had to be chewed to mush, but it was food. And there was no counting calories, only counting protein to make sure you got 60g. There was a lot of stuff that was forbidden for the first 6 weeks, but no liquid diet before or after surgery. You are doing great. Keep up the good work.

Yes, we are playing phone tag now just getting them the sonogram report. I hope to see him this week.

Hi perforce. I have also been looking at New Leaf and is considering going with them too. I have been looking into bariatric surgery clinics/hospitals for several week and so far, my interaction with the lady from the company has been very good. It would be nice to hear from people experience who have used their services.

Yep. So many of us. You're full of IV fluids and swollen. I urge you to stay off the scale for the next two weeks. I lost very little during that time. Get your water, protein, and vitamins in. Walk, rest, and be good to yourself. You will lose weight! Now is for healing.

I had that kind of pain for about a week after my surgery and it was due to gas. Are you able to walk? Walking helps alleviate the gas pain a bit. If it is really intense. continues, or is accompanied by a fever, though, be sure to call your doctor's office. They would rather you call and it be nothing than to have you have a complication and ignore it.

Thanks for your post. I'm one week post op and I'm ready to be done with liquids. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I'm just over two weeks out and on full liquids. Finding it kinda surprising that I can eat about 5 oz of greek yogurt with no problem at all. Is this due to the soft consistency? I'm just wondering why I'm not feeling stuffed by this volume? I haven't tried anything dense so am assuming that will be completely different experience. Should I limit my yogurt to 2 oz or go ahead and eat the container?

My scale isn't moving either. I'm just silently screaming at it knowing I shouldn't be paying attention to the scale right now.I feel like I am a fairly even-tempered guy, but I was about to throw our scale off of the terrace by the end of the second week of my "three week stall." But, it finally passed, and I have been in a free-fall ever since. I bet that's going to happen for both of you before too long as well! Now, if I can just get to my next milestone before the stall rears its ugly head again!! :-) Hang in there! I'm with you. Good thing there aren't any neighbors behind our house! One day I'm going to toss that thing in the lake! Not really, but I know exactly how it feels.

Since u all know my complications I wanted to share what it looks like to fight to save your life. Somebody tells you this is easy feel free to show them my photos and ask "does that look easy" some may be graphic so be warned. The pic w the sign was me in icy after my second peg surgery. I developed staph pneumonia. The one of my leg was severe phlebitis caused from a failed IV inserted in my foot. The one with my son is when I was first hospitalized and developed epilepsy. The one of me smiling was when I woke up after two weeks of be unconscious from seizures and malnutrition. . The one of the blood in the iv my first blood transfusion. The bruises on my arms was my 24th IV blown. [ATTACH]3069[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]3070[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]3071[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]3072[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]3073[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]3074[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]3075[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]3076[/ATTACH]

I am ONE step closer to finally having a surgery date like everyone else. The insurance coordinator called me this afternoon and told me that she had spoken to the director of my insurance (Cal Optima) and he told her to follow up with him by the end of this week to see if I will be approved or not. She just told me to hang in there and hopefully she will be calling me next week. Initially, she said at the latest of two weeks and 1/2 that I will be hearing from her. But I guess it's another week or so of waiting for me. I suppose it's not as bad as I'm making it out to be. I've waited 21 years to make this decision, so another week wouldn't hurt! I just needed to vent. I have been feeling so heavy and it's harder for me to walk as I am reaching 265lbs. Good luck to everyone on your journey.

I had to do liquids for two weeks to reduce my liver and to get me used to diet changes. No lb. Requirement but I lost twenty no problem.

The following is some info I found re: bougies. It is not the ultimate source, I would prefer JAMA articles over this, but it's something to refer to. I made a quick EXCEL spreadsheet converting the size to mm and inches based upon the formula. Note: Per this article, the surgeon's techniques contribute to the overall size ("...how close the stapler is to the guide...", "...whether they oversew"..., etc.) Bougie Size mm Inches 32 10.66 0.42 33 10.99 0.43 34 11.32 0.45 35 11.66 0.46 36 11.99 0.47 37 12.32 0.49 38 12.65 0.50 39 12.99 0.51 40 13.32 0.52 41 13.65 0.54 42 13.99 0.55 43 14.32 0.56 44 14.65 0.58 45 14.99 0.59 46 15.32 0.60 47 15.65 0.62 48 15.98 0.63 49 16.32 0.64 50 16.65 0.66 Sleeve Gastrectomy – Does Size Matter? by Kimberly Taylor on August 21, 2013 · Comments | Weight Loss Surgery The gastric sleeve procedure has quickly become one of the most common types of weight loss surgery, jumping from obscurity to importance in only a few years. Despite it’s newfound popularity among patients and surgeons, there are many technical aspects of the procedure including bougie size that remain controversial. What is a Bougie? The bougie (prounounced BOO-zhee) is a measuring tool in the form of a long, thin, flexible tube. The surgeon uses it as a guide when dividing the stomach. During surgery, the bougie is put into the mouth and pushed down through the esophagus and stomach to the pylorus. The tube creates a bulge inside the stomach that the surgeon uses to guide the stapler when dividing the stomach. After the sleeve is formed, the bougie is removed from the body. Bougies comes in a range of sizes that are identified by a unit of measurement called a French. 1 French is equal to 0.333mm (1/3 mm) and is abbreviated as F, Fr or FR. For reference, a 40F bougie measures about 1/2 inch (40F x 0.333mm = 13.32mm, converted to inches is 1/2″). Standard bougie sizes in the United States range from 32-50F. The bougie size is not the same as stomach size, although it does influence the size of the sleeve. Generally, the smaller the bougie, the smaller the new stomach size, but the same size bougie does not always create the same size stomach. The finished sleeve size is determined by how close the stapler gets to the guide and whether the surgeon oversews the staple line and if so, by how much. While the gastric sleeve is now widely accepted as a primary bariatric procedure, there is not yet unanimous agreement on an ideal bougie size. The decision is trying to find the size that will provide the safest results with the most amount of weight loss. With a smaller bougie size, the smaller the sleeve and greater the restriction, but greater the risk of leak and stricture rate. A stricture is an excessively narrow section that develops when scar tissue grows and interferes with the normal movement of food and liquids into the stomach. It can cause upper abdominal pain after eating and chronic vomiting or regurgitation of undigested food. Symptoms usually start in the first 6 weeks after surgery. Strictures are very uncommon, but surgery is required to remedy the situation. If a larger bougie size is used, the sleeve will be larger and the operation safer, but the concern is that it may not produce enough weight loss. 2008 Study A study in 2008 found that a bougie size of 40F compared with 60F did not result in significantly greater weight loss in the short term. Comparing 40F versus 60F: At 6 months, the excess weight loss was 38.8% versus 40.6%. At 12 months, the excess weight loss was 51.9% versus 45.4%. (Study: Laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy: does bougie size affect mean %EWL? Short-term outcomes. Surg Obes Relat Dis. 2008 Jul-Aug;4(4):528-33. doi: 10.1016/j.soard.2008.03.245.) 2013 Study In a 2013 study, researchers wanted to find out if there is an ideal bougie size. To do this, they did a search of medical literature published in the last 5 years and analyzed 32 publications involving 4,999 patients. What they found: The use of bougies 40F and larger had a leak rate of 0.92% and excess weight loss of 69.2%. The use of bougies smaller than 40F had a leak rate of 2.67% and excess weight loss of 60.7%. The results show that larger sizing bougies had a lower incidence of leaks with no change in weight loss. The researchers call for further studies before a decision is made on optimal bougies size, but recommend caution in using the smallest bougie possible because the risks may outweigh the benefits. (Study: The Effects of Bougie Caliber on Leaks and Excess Weight Loss Following Laparoscopic Sleeve Gastrectomy. Is There an Ideal Bougie Size? Obes Surg. 2013 Aug 3. [Epub ahead of print]) 2012 Surgeon Survey According to a 2012 survey of surgeons experienced in sleeve gastrectomy, the bougie size used ranged from 32F to 50F, with the most common size being 36F (used by 32% of surgeons surveyed). Studies show that the procedure is relatively safe, but there are still many variations in bougie size. (Study: Survey on laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy (LSG) at the Fourth International Consensus Summit on Sleeve Gastrectomy. Obes Surg. 2013 Aug 4. [Epub ahead of print]) Bougie Size Bougie size is based on patient input, height, weight, and surgeon technique. The bougie size is typically smaller when the procedure is performed as a stand-alone procedure (32-50F) rather than part of the duodenal switch (50-60F). Depending on the bougie size used by the surgeon, the new stomach size will be about 60-80% smaller after surgery. The average stomach holds 30-40 ounces, or roughly 4-6 cups per meal. After surgery, a small meal of 1/2 cup to 1-1/2 cups will fill the new stomach pouch. The sleeve will stretch somewhat from the surgery size, but will get no where near the size of the original stomach. If you are planning to undergo the sleeve gastrectomy procedure, make sure you discuss the bougie size with your surgeon during the pre-op process. It is important that you understand the rationale for your surgeon’s recommendation and to feel comfortable with the size of your post-op stomach. While bougie size is a consideration, healthy weight loss will ultimately depend on following a reduced-calorie, nutrient-rich diet. The sleeve will help reduce hunger and limit food intake, but it is up to you to choose the foods and liquids that you put into your body.

I would have to agree. Get it in writing. I was told 1 palm size portion of protein (or two eggs) with one of the meals, loads of the allowed veggies and 2 Optifast shakes. That’s what I did - strict, VLCD for 2 weeks prior to surgery. I was only hungry some of the time but actually ended up enjoying the structure. Miss it now being 3 days Post Op and would give anything for a shake and to not feel like I’ve just entered a pie eating contest and feel so full and bloated I could puke (just from small sips of water).

I was starving the entire pre-op diet. You're lucky you only have to do it 1 week. I had to do it 2 weeks with the same restrictions! Not gonna lie, it was awful. The only thing that got me through was why I was doing it. Does your nutritionist respond to emails? If so I would send her an email asking if it is okay to consume 100 grams of protein a day. Then you will have it in writing to refer to.

I would strongly suggest watching YouTube videos on WLS and go through this website with a fine tooth comb, read everything you can, research, ask questions, watch more videos 😇 I have been researching WLS, specifically VSG, over the last few weeks, and have not only learnt a lot but am super confident on what I want to do and what steps I need to get there.... and currently I'm 60 days out from starting my pre-op diet. Not saying I'm a pro and know-it-all, just saying that it sounds like more research/understanding/knowledge on your end will help you clear up your confusion. 🤗