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I am almost 4 weeks post op and have never had nausea until last couple days. Is that weird? It’s not while I’m eating or shortly before or after - could it be dehydration?

It is hard not to get discouraged, but try not to. I stalled for almost 3 weeks after my first month, then it started falling off again. I am down 45 lbs in 7 weeks.

Okay calm down. 6 weeks out is REALLY early to be working out this much when your body is barely even taking in food. Regardless, 18 lbs is a lot. This sounds totally normal.

Me too! I feel like I am failing! I lost 18 pounds in the first 3 weeks.. now I'm at 6 weeks and no more loss but a pound gained! And I am NOT pooping like a champ. Sent from my SM-A716U using BariatricPal mobile app

I'm so worried and frustrated.. I am really starting to feel more hungry. I workout 2 times a day 25 minutes each round. I put a pound back on. I feel like I'm doing everything wrong! Sent from my SM-A716U using BariatricPal mobile app

So how did everyone's holiday season go? Usually, in the Before Times, I'd put on 5-10 lbs. between Thanksgiving and Los Reyes Magos. I'll be honest with y'all. I ate like crap this year too. Carbs and sugar and fat and hardly any vegetables or fiber. I did make sure I got my protein and water though. And I chose days when I'd be off track instead of having six or seven weeks of "eh, whatever, I'll start again January 2". Thanksgiving; St. Lucia; Christmas Eve and Christmas; New Year's Eve. I also had nice meals for my fiancé's birthday and went to a friend's party. The restriction did help, though I've discovered more "slider" foods that I need to avoid, ones that I can eat a lot of that don't seem to trigger my restriction. And yet, when I came to the end of the holiday season for my weigh-in this morning, I had lost 14 pounds over that timeframe. I'm stunned. Pants that I bought right before Christmas are now loose; shirts in XL are now starting to flap in the breeze a bit (but not so much that I'm going to size down QUITE yet). My body definitely has got used to the way I was feeding it; when I returned to my usual careful tracking each time, I felt so much better. I don't really restrict myself on foods unless I know they're sliders or I won't have any control (hello, Dot's Pretzels...), but it's a matter of just really carefully weighing things out. "The food scale eats first"—so nothing goes in my mouth until I've portioned it out and logged it.

You'll probably start the liver shrinking diet soon, which can be difficult, but start to write some reasons down to help you through the mental side of that process. Your team will tell you exactly what you need to do. Make sure you follow it closely as much as you can. Also please know that everyone experience is different. After my insurance approved me and my surgeon gave me a date I started the liver shrinking diet and then a week before my surgery I had to have a day of testing. I had an EKG, blood work, and upper GI imaging. After the results I was cleared for surgery. After that I paid the initial surgeon fee which was around $500 something and then I paid the hospital a down payment of $2,700 and then after that I had my surgery a few days later. Does that help? More questions?

My insurance approved me I'm due to get the sleeve on the 18th this month...what can I expect to go through next couple of weeks Sent from my ONEPLUS A6013 using BariatricPal mobile app

Welcome, and congratulations on starting this process . We all are a little scared (or very scared) of dying on the table. But death and severe complications are very rare. It's common to gain weight before the two week pre-op diet; it's called "food funerals". Plus, you were dealing with the holidays! I will say that after surgery, it's way too easy to eat "slider" foods like chips and sweets, even when you're too full for protein. Do you think your mobility will be restored after losing weight? If not, you might try to find some sorts of exercises that work with your limitations because exercising is good for keeping the weight off long term. You could work with a physical trainer to get some ideas that are designed for your body. Good Luck!

I took two weeks off, but I worked from home for another 4 weeks. I normally travel for work, so I had to not travel because of the lifting.

Everybody will lose at different rates, depending on starting BMI, height, gender, muscle mass, etc. Some people lose really fast, and others at a steady lower rate. Keep following your plan, and make sure you are meeting the daily water goal. Water is essential to 'process' stored fat. For reference, I'm approaching month 2, and I am losing a bit over 2 lbs/week.

I am three months out and already have increased appetite. Its no where near the hanger type hunger pre-surgery though. I am still eating around 3-3.5 oz and have lost about 45 lbs. I had a VSG. Sent from my SM-G998U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

You will improve overtime. The first week is the hardest for sure. I am 3 months PostOp and feeling great and have more of an appetite now. I still have to eat slowly and make sure I am eating moist foods. I am also able to chug water a little compared to right after surgery. Sent from my SM-G998U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

not dumping. Dumping involves an hour or more of chills, sweating, heart palpitations. about 30% of RNY patients dump. It's much less common in sleeve patients. I've never dumped, and most of us RNY patients don't. as others have said, it's due to eating too much sugar in one sitting (and for some people, fat). It can be controlled by limiting (or avoiding) whatever it is that sets it off (sugar or fat). your issue just sounds like a normal thing that some of us go through the first few weeks after surgery when we're healing and/or trying to figure out what our new stomachs will tolerate.

I'm married so I didn't need it (I have a built-in home care aide!), but not sure I would have needed one. Other than reaching (like to upper cabinets), I didn't really have any restrictions that I can think of. You probably won't need one 24/7 at the hotel, either - maybe have someone stop in a couple times a day in case you need anything - or need your drains emptied (if you have them, that is - ) - but there wouldn't be any reaching at the hotel. Before your surgery, you may just need to put anything you might need once home on a counter or something so you can avoid reaching as much as possible. hopefully someone not as far out of surgery as I am will respond - but honestly, I just don't remember there being that many issues with it - other than you're supposed to avoid reaching the first few weeks. And then I had drains the first three or four days that my husband emptied (but that was at the hotel right after the surgery)

I agree with GradyCat - if you end up losing all the weight you're hoping to (over 100 lbs), you'll have loose skin. Plastic surgery is the only way to get rid of it, but toning will help a little. I did have mine removed a few years ago, but honestly, I'd take my loose skin any day of the week over weighing 300+ lbs again. ANY DAY! Besides, it's pretty easy to hide in clothes. I just wore slightly oversized, long-ish tops with 3/4 length (or longer) sleeves. Ta da! Skin gone. Here's a picture of me from BEFORE I had plastic surgery. See any loose skin? Nope! (several months after this picture was taken, I had a lower body lift, arm lift, and breast lift. But I did this for myself. No one knew that loose skin was there before I had it removed - other than my husband and me, of course!)

Okay, I can totally hear you on this. Same thing here. I'm 3 years post-op. COVID and life wreaked havoc in my life, lost my 16 year old fur baby . . . 2020 and 2021 SUCKED! But I finally saw a sign that said, "Remember why you started this." and it hit me - - - I had to get my health back. I was embarrassed by my weight gain because after WLS and reading some of the forum posts where people gained weight back, I thought "Oh! I'll never be one of THOSE people!" HA! I am! But I finally found light at the end of the tunnel on November 22nd. Something finally just clicked in my head. I started going to the gym and I've been 35 out of the last 40 days. I joined Weight Watchers two weeks ago and as of this morning I've lost 3 pounds. I have depression, which it sounds like you probably have after all that you've been through, and I see a counselor every 3 weeks. We do online video conferences. It's very helpful to talk about my stressors and fears. You are NOT a failure! Forgive yourself, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and join me on a journey to refocus on our weight in 2022.

Thank you so much!😊 I don't have a therapist currently but I am almost positive I have ADD so next month at my annual I plan on discussing ideas/meds/therapy referral for it. It has made doing online school difficult at times, well a lot. And honestly the job I have (vet receptionist) requires so much focus and multi-tasking WELL I think takes all ability to do the same amount of focus later the same day on schoolwork. I could find a therapist without my PCP doing a referral but the therapist I found is in the same network as my PCP (Baylor Scott & White) and she specializes in several things including bariatrics so I figured I'd wait a few months to get a referral from my PCP...I called to get in sooner but my PCP was booked until March and my appointment was in early February so I was like I'll just wait thanks...🙃 Agree on the snacks thing although does eating my allotted food for breakfast/lunch etc over the course of my day count as snacking if it isn't extra stuff? And yes, I agree with the "low sugar" etc snacks open up the wormhole. I just signed up for the monthly BariatricPal box so I am hoping I will discover new snacks and foods that are specifically for us I can add into my rotations---I think a lot of my snacks while normal aren't really 'normal' for me anymore--I bought myself some almonds but struggle with the idea of spending 180 of my calories on like 6 grams of protein--I do love the Greek yogurt at 120 calories and anywhere from 12-20 grams of protein! I can't avoid the break area, I work at a vet clinic and it is not so strategically located right by the doctor's office where I am in and out all day to talk to my doctors about cases. And our break area is a sink, counter with microwave and snacks piled on top of it. 😑 I need to work on my will power and I am glad to see the holidays to be on their way out! I have found with me, cold turkey is the best way to nix cravings. I don't get to be one of those people who can have "just one piece" here and there because that one piece on day 1 becomes me constantly snacking and seeking out sugar on day 5 or 6....it snowballs. I am debating going back for a week or two to the preop diet I had which was 2-3 protein shakes with a sensible dinner of lean meat and a vegetable and maybe I'll add in a fruit depending on how that goes to get me back on track. Stupid brain liking stupid garbage sugar. 😤

I'm in the same boat right now. I got VSG on Dec 20 2021, I am 2 weeks post op, my plan wanted me on pureed foods only 3 days after surgery... which I personally felt was way too soon, so I stayed on protein shakes and broths only for the first 10 days. I had lost about 12 lbs from surgery date up to when I started puree on day 10, but just noticed I have gained about a pound last couple of days. I have been having a hard time getting things moving though too (smooth move tea actually did literally nothing), so I'm sure that has a little to do with it, Miralax takes the full three days once a day before it does anything at all. I'm sure it gets better after the 3-5 week hump from what I've heard.

Howdy y'all! Happy 2022! So it did it end up being a solid 6+ months for me to get myself back on here. The thought even crossed my mind to do a 1 year exactly post and then I got distracted and here I am like 3ish weeks late. Whatever, I digress. So 12 months have passed and with it I have shed 116lbs(that was the total about a month ago at the 1 year surgeon's check up). He is very happy with my progress however I know I can do better. Remember how I said 6 months ago sugar was an issue? Yeah, still is. More so since I got covid back in August and lost my taste/smell--it's back mostly but it has changed flavors and most of it isn't for the better. I can't stomach tomato based foods, I can't explain what it tastes/smells like but it is not good. Cooking garlic makes me gag but I can eat it okay which makes zero sense to me and then of course sugar based foods (especially candy) is almost normal-I suspect is why I have continued to gravitate to it so hard these last few months. Anyway, I decided tonight after posting in the forums for some help and some tough love/encouragement that I would sign myself up for the box of the month from the BariatricPal store--let me try lots of high protein/lower calorie snacks/foods without just blindly spending money on products that are nasty. Figure I'll try it out for a few months and see what it yields, I need to add in some new products to my repertoire. My water intake is back to around 100+oz a day most days. I made it a HUGE priority when the plasma center opened up in my town since my dog is looking to meet at least another two of the specialty departments at the local specialty vet in the next 6 weeks. I take a insulated mug with a straw, fill with ice cubes and I have a 50oz water bottle I fill and put in flavoring (my taste buds settled on the more 'tart' flavors like strawberry lemonade/cherry etc) and make it a point to drink at least 2 of the water bottles a day. I have had zero issues donating both with hydration and iron(hematocrit) numbers. Iron is always on the forefront of my mind since I went into this surgery already on once daily iron tablets due to low grade anemia I got from my mom and she got from her mom. I had tested at 38 which is the absolute lowest you can be at and still donate the first 3 times but today after I had upped my iron tablets to 2 a day as well as my normal 2 Flintstones the last 10-14 days I tested at 44 today! I obviously don't want it skyrocketing since you can actually have it to high so I will go to every other day 2 tablets and see if I can hold my iron steady in the low to mid 40s. I have ZERO regrets from this surgery and look forward to FLYING to see my dad over Father's day weekend, my goal is to be at or below my surgeon's goal for me (193lbs)-still sitting at 225lbs so not an overwhelming amount of weight to lose in 6ish months. I did buy myself a solidly decent treadmill that I have started using several times a week-I enjoy my 'treadmill shows' like The Witcher or Game of Thrones- shows I really enjoy but can only watch if I am up on the treadmill-gives me motivation to lace up the sneakers and go for a power walk. That said, I do plan on finding a chiropractor to do a consult with because my hips and back aches after only a few minutes of going at a solid pace, I assume it's from everything shifting and hope I can get adjusted and/or get some stretching exercises I can do to help get things aligned and make moving much more comfortable than it is currently. I am still in school but maybe just maybe work seems to finally have eased some and we have a new CSR starting in mid-January so I don't feel so exhausted and overwhelmed as I did 6ish months ago. I finally feel like I have the time to get things I want and need to get done, done. My ADD still makes focusing hard sometimes but my annual physical is in February and I plan on discussing ideas/strategies with my PCP. My goal right now is to buy myself a 6-18 month planner that will help me keep track of schoolwork deadlines I want to make for myself, work scheduling, personal/off time to make sure I don't waste my days off wandering around going "I know there is stuff I need to do but I don't remember what it was" or alternatively doing things like starting to clean out my closet-doing that for 4 hours then getting distracted by something else or ending up napping when the cat comes and lays next to me while I am looking through boxes(that's happened more than I'd like to admit). Anyway, moving along. Long story short here, I am very happy with my progress but know I have a lot left to learn and more weight to lose. I think when I hit Onederland and I have the funds, I will seek out beginner Krav Maga classes for fitness but also I haven't been below 200lbs as an adult and self-defense is something I've always assumed my weight would help with and now I won't have it. Maybe a solid firearm handling class and getting my concealed carry license as well. That's all I've got at this point, can't wait to see where I am and what thoughts I have in a few months! Keep on trucking everyone, we've got this!! -Amanda

I’m going to jump right in & focus on your inner child sugar & snack craving & ask if you saw or still see a therapist? If not it may be worth asking your medical team for a recommendation to a one who specialises in supporting bariatric patients, disordered eating, etc. The battle to overpower those cravings will only be won when you deal with that inner child. At the moment that child is winning. Are you eating because you are truely hungry (because your body needs the calories to function) or is it just your inner child wanting to be satisfied & comforted? Honestly, I didn’t specifically crave sugar or salt - I was an equal opportunity treat eater: sweet & savoury. 😉 I got them out of my house. If I don’t buy those foods & don’t have them in my house, I can’t eat them. I know it can be hard when it’s in the work place but try to avoid the break area. Go outside to eat if possible. I also try to prep most of what I eat myself so I can control the ingredients & how it’s cooked. While I was losing I ate pretty simply & a lot on repeat. It wasn’t boring. I actually found it less pressure because I didn’t have to think about what I was going to cook or eat. I had one snack a day: cheese, yoghurt (tub or drink), chunk of cucumber or fruit. Once you have those meals & food snacks in your app you can just select them each day. You don’t have to recreate them every time. So a little hard work to begin. Go back to only eating three times a day & no snacks or only one a day. It won’t be easy. Snacks add the calories which will slow your weight loss a lot. If the child screams at you, sip water, have a cup of herbal or green tea, eat a little chicken, ham, or other deli meat, have some yoghurt, or a little piece of cheese as your snack - note they are all protein dominant. Watch the fruit because of the high sugar content (though natural) so be selective - berries are best. Try to avoid traditional style snacks even if they’re high protein, low fat or low sugar versions - they keep the snack habit & craving alive. Try to avoid artificial sweeteners for the same reason - they continue to feed your sugar craving. You can explore them when you’re maintaining. You don’t have to jump in with both feet & go cold turkey. Even making one change to what & how you eat at a time helps. Drop something this week. In a week or two swap something else out. Little changes are easy to accept & are little wins. Just some suggestions. Feel free to ignore them all. Congrats on your weight loss so far.

Hello … 10 days post op for RNY and I am still in my two week post op liquids phase. The protein shakes are making me gag and I found two things that help get around it. First, I discovered bariatric high protein soup . You can find it on Amazon or Bariatric Pal. I also discovered I can tolerate PB Fit , made kind of runny. These things have drastically improved my post op liquid phase life. I still choke down a protein shake in the morning, but in the evening instead of a gross second shake I have my high protein soup . Amen!!

Hey friends! Here I am a year out and over 100lbs lighter than I was, but stalled because my inner fat kid still loves sugar and snacks. I am moving more but I need to get with a chiropractor I think since walking is painful mostly in my hips although now I find myself able to jog for over a minute at a time! 😮 So here's my need, I have about 30lbs to go to hit my surgeon's goal of 193lbs, I wanna be there by June. 30ish pounds in like over 5 months, I think I can do that but I need some help. I KNOW I'm off track on my eating-I blame my lack of power over my sweet tooth and the holidays. I plan on quitting sugar cold turkey but to that I need ideas for protein heavy, calorie light snacks because when I quit sugar I snack hardcore. I want to have foods I can track (prepackaged-I find being able to scan bar codes the night befoer into Baritastic app allows me some peace of mind that I can eat whatever I have in my lunch box anytime during my 12-15 hour day and not have to worry about continually getting my phone out to log. Also, I can always delete foods if I don't get around to eating everything I bring with me) and have me around 900-1200 calories a day. I have used P3s, greek yogurt, Quest chips (the sweet chili ones are my favorite!), apples are my commute home snack I share with my dog(she gets to go to work with me everyday ), raspberries, Sandwich Bros pita burger things as some of the examples--they are also what I find myself using on a normal basis. I do have an issue in that I had covid back in August, I lost my taste and smell and it has come back mostly all the way but it has really messed up my taste buds namely for tomato based foods(although ketchup is okay, go figure), there are other types that have an 'off' taste to them but I eating those isn't as much of an issue, and of course anything sugary/sweet has not had that wonderful off putting taste in it, in fact because they taste so close to normal that may be another reason I have gravitated so strongly to the sweets. Also I work at a vet clinic and all clients have gotten us for the past couple of months has been sugar(brownies, chocolate, doughnuts, etc etc--we joke you look at the break area and you get diabetes)😬... I don't need lectures at this point....okay, maybe I do. 😐 I know I'm off track. 😕 I am getting in around 100oz of water a day (made the water a priority when a plasma center opened up and my lemon of a dog decides she's going to need a few of the local specialty departments at the vet hospital and I have had zero issues donating at all), protein around 60-90 grams and my vitamins are on track BUT for the most part I have gotten lazy tracking my food intake-another big no-no so calories could be anywhere from 900-1400 maybe more if I'm snacking all day. So what are your go to snacks? Any help quitting sugar? I plan to do so when I am off since I know I'm a raging b*tch when I have quit sugar-at least the first 3ish days and my job is heavily customer facing. Is it worth it to just nix the snacks, stock up on a crap load of water, protein shakes and do the almost fully liquid diet I had to do preop(it was 2-3 protein shakes with one healthy meal) to help reset my taste buds? I have unflavored protein powder-anyone successfully add that into like a muffin cup(like a Kodiak Cake brand)? What about adding it into water with crystal light-kind of like the gatorade protein drinks but less chalky? Thanks for any insight/help/tips etc you can pass my way, I appreciate it all!

Loose bowel motions are ok - all that liquid you’re consuming. You’re lucky you haven’t experienced the sudden, very unexpected, no warning signal watery diarrhoea. I got up to pee took a couple of steps then gush. Very unpleasant & embarrassing. Expect some constipation (may persist for months) but don’t worry until it gets to three or more days then take something. You aren’t consuming much that needs to be evacuated every day especially to begin with.

Praying you recover from Covid soon. I had my RNY surgery a little over two weeks 12/15/21. Trying to work on 64 oz of liquids and it’s a struggle. Still on full liquids. You got this !