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Don’t forget to tell them exactly what you’re doing fitness wise and ask whether you need to adjust your protein and carbs. Also ask what your portions should look like up until your next appointment portion wise. Also I thought of you while I was having my yogurt drink. They are just Greek yogurt and fruit with a little milk (I use almond milk just because it doesn’t expire as fast so I don’t waste as much). They sell some in the stores but you have to watch the added sugars and the ones without it are pricey. They are simple enough to make. I do them in the nutra bullet because I have one and you can drink it right out of that cup you blend in so you don’t waste as much when it sticks to the blender and then the glass. Anyways, this is a really good source of protein when you’re sick of shakes but not really hungry. I often end up having them for night snacks when I get to the end of the day and my protein is low.

Gotta love kids. They are so brutally honest. But of course compared to a 14 year old they are flabby. I am suddenly very aware of my saggy arms too and I have only lost 59 pounds so far. I think part of it was just normal aging and I just wasn’t paying as much attention before to them as I suddenly am now. My belly skin is starting to get pretty jiggly too. I am dropping the weight rather fast though. BMI of 39.2 to 30.3 in 3.5 months. My secret goal is another 51 pounds so I’m sure it’s gonna get a lot worse if I can get there. Unless insurance helps, plastics are not an option. I’m really hoping it snaps back a bit with time but I will be doing a lot of crunches and pushups I’m sure. Does it make it easier or harder to stand back further? I am just doing them exactly how the instructor showed me in class which is my feet back a ways but not as far as you describe. I haven’t told her yet they are getting a bit easier for me now. I assumed the next step was knee pushups, but they hurt my knees so if I can alter the wall ones and skip the knees that would be ideal.

I had a pretty nasty bout of blood in my stool which put me in the emergency room- I had lost a lot of blood. When the finally got the endoscopy done two days later- no active bleed. But it was depressing to say the least, and I'm no youngster at 70 years. So, I decided to stop alcohol. I've done it before- I was sober for about 35 years before I resumed drinking and went from 1-100 pretty fast. I know I'm an addictive personality, I found a program- outpatient intensive that will accept me-the real trick with this is what is called "after-care." I was never much for AA, but found groups where people can give feedback or respond to be extremely helpful. That will happen as p/o this program but it is short term and I've asked about aftercare options following the "intensive." I think my life will be better without the booze- it certainly was most of my adult life-- I got careless, figured WTF, and wanted something to calm me down. I don't like pot, it makes me paranoid. I used to drink tons of fizzy water. Can't really do carbonated drinks post surgery , I do stay hydrated and use sugar free electrolyte powder in my thermos. (Doesn't everybody have a thermos these days that they carry around? Sure seems like it). Anyway, the best path for me is the simple- abstinence and getting back to a mentality where a drink is out of the question. I gather than gastric bypass patients may be prone to shifting addictions but I already knew this was an issue for me before the surgery. Still working out at the gym-a life saver and seeing a "shrink" have both also helped, as has my internist. I'm hardly a moralist about this- if you can handle drink, fine. It's obvious that I'm in that cohort that cannot. Thanks for listening and for the feedback here. Happy this year to all.

I had the same feeling at first. But the important thing is that you personally are going in the right direction. Slow or fast doesn’t matter. (Although i would love the weight to ‘go’ faster). Im at 9weeks and every week shows a tiny bit of progress.

I was too but don't be. Just practice mindful eating. I learned rather quickly after just a few bites how that meal was going to go. I would stop and push the plate away if need be. If you don't, you will pay for it. I had to learn that lesson a few times. I thought because the nutritionist OK'd a food for a particular phase, it would be OK. But it wasn't for me. Certain textures are my problem. Not from eating too much or too fast. YMMV I still struggle with stir fry (semi cooked) and raw vegetables which is sad for me because I love veggies and salads. Also heavy meats like steak and chicken unless it is cooked to the point of falling apart. In a soup cooked soft is best so I lived on stews etc. for quite awhile and still enjoy them. Find the foods within your program that you enjoy and go well with you and your sensitive tummy. In the beginning, I made the mistake of trying everything allowed to me at the different phases but a lot just made me sick. I knew at some point I would enjoy those foods again in the future. Some I may never. But I like to concentrate on the healthy things I can have as opposed to what I can't. GL.. you will do fine. And don't be scared. {{hugs}}

It’s unfortunate you are experiencing some issues! D Mannose works well for UTIs and is available in almost every vitamin sections in stores. For the skin issues, have you considered a specialized soap? Also you can keep reinfecting yourself through clothing that is infected. Definitely see a dermatologist if you can. You said you are in remission now but your fasting issues may be connected to your diabetes. Do you monitor you blood glucose levels while fasting? I can still dry fast for over 24 hrs with no issues and wet fast for over 36hrs but I don’t have diabetes. Everyone is different so take that with a grain of salt. Some things may improve for you the further out from surgery you get or with continued weightloss. Good Luck!

I was starving one week post-op. My hunger never left, but the signals changed. The hunger I feel is like hollowness in my abdomen, it feels like physical pain rather than craving something that is specific (taste or texture). I did lose my interest in eating between my snacks and meals (and what to eat was not on my mind), but once the clock hit 2 hours past my last meal/snack I felt the pangs. I lost a lot of weight very fast, and my post-op experience felt like I'm starving to death and withering away if that makes sense. The feeling of physical hunger pain is probably my body's way of preserving itself (I guess). Now that I am a bit more stabilized I have many days where I'm just not interested in food, and days where I'm ravenous (especially when I've hit it really hard at the gym).

I hit my final goal!!! I'm actually, literally ugly crying right now. I didn't expect it to happen so fast!!!

I just checked and at 2 months, I was down 20.6 lbs from the day of surgery. There's really not a hard and fast rule for how much you'll lose. Everyone is different and it depends on your starting point and how much you lost pre-op, too. I had some months when I lost a lot and other months where I hardly lost anything, but overall it moved steadily downward. My weight loss has stalled for the past month or so, now that I am more than a year out. The only guidelines I was given was 60g minimum of protein per day and 64oz water. I am now almost 14 months post-op and I've gone from 225 lbs on surgery day (251 was my highest, which was 6 months pre-op) to anywhere from 162-165lbs. My exercise consists of walking and that's it. I'd like to lose another 10 lbs but I'm also pretty fine with where I am as long as I don't gain (which is why I do hope to lose a bit more). I've gone from a size 22 to a size 12. I think I could still lose a bit more if I focused on cutting out some bad habits that have crept in with sweets/simple carbs, and if I increased my daily exercise to something a little more challenging than a walk. I don't count calories and I don't really track macros at this point, either. I just try to eat reasonable meals that focus on protein and veggies, and not snack too much or eat junk food too often. A typical day is either spinach frittata, Kodiak protein oatmeal, or a Greek yogurt for breakfast, plus a serving of mixed fruit (strawberries, cantaloupe, blueberries, grapes. Lunch is a good size spinach salad with 3oz chicken and some black beans. Dinner might be a bowl of homemade chicken, bean, and veggie soup, chili, or maybe some grilled meat and veggies. Sometimes I eat chickpea pasta with marinara and meatballs but other types of pasta and breads don't settle well. For snacks, I like string cheese and an apple, or some mixed nuts or roasted edamame. I have to be careful of overindulging in things like popcorn, candy, and cookies because they are too easy to eat without getting full (and sadly I don't get dumping from them). Red meat fills me up very quickly. The hardest thing for me now is dealing with the head hunger that makes me want to reach for food if I am bored or stressed. Getting the stuff out of the house completely is the only strategy that really works for me with that. My only real advice is don't drive yourself crazy. Just do your best each day and pay attention to your body. That's more important than counting calories. You're not on a diet! You need to figure out what you can sustain for the rest of your life, while paying attention now to the basics (protein and water, plus vitamins) to keep up your health.

I'm 21 years post-op. A sandwich that I could easily eat pre-op is 4 meals now. The thing is, my concept of 'standard' has changed completely. For this thing to work long term it had to*. In the years pre-op I could do any crash diet that came along with 100% compliance for months. I can do anything for a short time knowing the short time would end eventually. That's not change, that's will power, which most of us have in abundance. WLS is forever*. The early "honeymoon" period shouldn't be about losing weight as fast as you can*. It should be about changing "normal" and getting weight loss as a positive reinforcement for compliance*. Compliance + positive reinforcement + time = new normal*. My plan was to eat the way I would after I lost all the weight. Basically, I started my "maintenance" plan the day after surgery. I eat now pretty much as I have since about 3 months post-op, though now I complete more meals than I did at 3 months. There is no "after." This is my normal, the way I eat without thinking. WLS is forever is my opinion. Plenty of folks have done the draconian post-op diet and lost all their weight and even maintained it for years. Many track every morsel they eat forever. For me, that's no way to live. This is not how my surgeon wanted me to live. Good luck, Tek * Personal opinion.

Yea. Just start with the times that you naturally do actually eat anyways and then pick other times that are convenient from there. I also do a proffee in the morning (just protein shake and coffee to make an iced coffee like drink). I really am not a breakfast person but I have to do vitamins 5 different times a day so I do that with my soluble fiber mixed in and take my multivitamin once I get that down. It’s fast and it’s liquid too so it’s a good start to the day getting fiber, protein, fluids and my first vitamin done. I like the premiere protein caramel and I just mix it with some chilled coffee. I use the whole shake in a tall cup and add coffee the rest of the way but I am one of those people that are asked if I want some coffee with my cream and sugar so adjust as needed. But for sure, start with the snacks. They are a must if you have reactive hypoglycemia. Then add alarms to remember to eat those snacks. Maybe around 1 if you haven’t eaten yet you need to get something soon or have one of your snacks to avoid the 2-3pm issue. Hopefully that will help.

Okay, first, once you have the surgery you will not physically be able to eat that fast without throwing up and/or being miserable with pain. So you'll learn real quick to slow down when the time comes. Trust me. In the meantime, here is what you do to practice and start training yourself. First, if you can, make a commitment to only eat from a real plate while sitting at an actual table for the next two weeks. No eating standing up in the kitchen with two minutes to go before you have to leave or grabbing a handful of something from the pantry as you walk past. Second, get yourself a timer. It can be a kitchen one, or one of those little sand ones that go for a minute, or just the timer on your phone. Whatever works. When you sit down to eat, take a small bite of food. This means something about the size of your thumbnail, or even half that size. Set the timer for one minute. Put your fork and knife down. Chew. Keep chewing. Chew more than you have ever chewed before in your life. Your food will be like paste. You should feel no lumps in your mouth. At this point, swallow. If there is time left on your timer, sit and wait. Only when the timer goes off do you pick up the fork for another bite. Before you take that bite, ask yourself if you feel like you need another bite. Presurgery, your answer is probably going to be yes. But post surgery, this is a point where you might start to think wait, I feel pretty satisfied. This is when you want to stop eating, because with a limited capacity, you will fill up really fast and might overshoot and feel ill. If that's all you do, you will be fine. If you want to be more mindful, ask yourself some questions as you eat. Maybe ask what you like about this food and think about that. Think about the texture and taste. Think about how your body is responding to eating. Do you feel tense? Are you relaxed? Are you feeling any emotions as you start eating, and do those emotions shift as you eat? Use some of your time between bites to write down some observations. You don't really have to do all of that, but on the other hand, you might be surprised by what you learn if you do. Also, I will say that I struggled a lot with this presurgery but the slow eating is second nature now. When I forget, I don't feel well, so I have a lot of incentive to slow down. You will too! Just do what you can to practice now so your nutritionist is happy with your progress. I will almost guarantee if you keep a notebook for the next week or two with what you ate and when, how long it took from start to finish, and some reflections on the food and how your body was feeling while you ate, you will pass with flying colors.

How is everyone doing over the weekends when schedules are more flexible and chaotic? I was pretty proud of myself today, my hubby asked me late last night if I wanted to go car shopping today and I didn’t really have anything to pack in terms of food but figured we may get stuck there if he found one he liked and we decided to get it so I threw a couple of shakes in the cooler for lunch and dinner. Luckily we didn’t get stuck, although we may next weekend because he has narrowed it down to one car now, but I was proud of myself because in the past when I didn’t think ahead for stuff like that I would end up starving and eating out of the vending machine and/or fast food when we finally got out of there. I think I will always keep shakes on hand for situations like that (just toss one into the cooler when I go shopping with a friend or whatever). Or protein bars but I’m not sure if they make me feel as full as a shake does.

I was never a breakfast eater and I've always done Intermittent Fasting and never ate my first meal before 12 PM (mind you I wake up at 5:30 AM). But since my VSG I get really hungry in the mornings, I have an oat milk coffee and wait to eat at 10/10.30 AM. My last meal of the day is at 6 PM so it explains the hunger especially with the tiny portions.

Hi, sorry I have been absent. I was sleeved a week ago today. I stayed in hospital two nights and didn't have any real problems. Liquids went down pretty easily and I got 1litre in on the first day and the drip was taken off that afternoon. They left the cannula in and it started bleeding - it was in my elbow bend and I think I did something when I bent my arm too quickly - so they took that out too, which was great! I tidied up my room, put on clean clothes and took it easy. I even got let out for a couple of hours to visit my father-in-law in the public hospital next door. He is nearly 90 and the end is coming - they thought it was close on Tuesday although he has picked up a bit since then. Slept intermittently the first night and rang the bell for pain killers a few times. The second night I slept fine - but they woke me up for obs at 11:30pm and 5:30am! Ugh! Then I went back to sleep after the 5:30am ones and my surgeon woke me at 6:30am! I gave up after that My husband turned up 9ish so I got up and showered, dressed and packed and was sent on my way with Palexia (opioid painkiller) and a reflux medication. We went to visit FIL for an hour or so then got an Uber to our short stay apartment. I had to go to Sydney for surgery - I live in Canberra - and the doctor said I should stay in Sydney for four more days. So that was Thursday, day 2 post op. I didn't do anything else that day. Friday was ok, I'm not having any trouble consuming liquids although plain water is the hardest - it gives me a temporary lump in my chest and sometimes hiccups. One thing that really bothered me on Wednesday and Thursday was that when I lay down to sleep at night I felt like I had a tennis ball in my chest. I had to sit up for a while. The surgeon said it is common with the surgery and I also had a small hiatus hernia repaired and it can be part of that too. I found that not taking tablets and drinking water immediately before lying down was best but I haven't had it since. Saturday I hit a wall mentally. I think it was a lot to do with being away from home - I always feel a bit "wrong" away from home but usually I'm travelling which means (a) fun (b) eating and drinking what I like and of course post surgery none of that was happening. I went for a short walk with my husband in Hyde Park Saturday evening and it helped a tiny bit. I felt really depressed and like I'd done the wrong thing and that I'd never lose weight etc etc. Because I'm autistic I had a couple of autistic meltdowns at my poor husband who copes with them quite well. So unfair, he was doing his best to look after me. Sunday I said I didn't want to do anything but after a while I said to him we should go for a walk. Unfortunately it was hot and humid in Sydney (Canberra has an inland elevated dry climate so I don't do humidity well), but we went out for two hours. I had to sit down a lot - no energy plus the humidity ugh - so it was slow and I only did about 5,000 steps but it was a good thing to do. We walked through Hyde Park, down to the Art Gallery, through the domain, up to Macquarie Street, round to Circular Quay. It was Australia Day so there were heaps of people out, which made me nervous about someone walking into me and hurting my incisions. We had lunch at the Quay - fish and chips for him and a banana smoothie for me - I ate the tip of a chip with aioli but I chewed it to death first, and chewed some fish and spat it out (I know, gross). We caught the light rail back up to Town Hall and went "home". He went back to visit his Dad and I watched YouTube videos and even edited one of my own (I have YouTube channel on, don't laugh after what I said about being away from home, travel). Monday we packed up and came home. The relief of being home! I still felt a bit funny bit it wasn't too bad and last night I gave the kitchen and butler's pantry a really good clean so I was obviously feeling a lot better. Our cats (6) sit all over the bench and leave hair and dirt so after a week of being away it was pretty grubby. Plus my husband cooked me some soup and he is messy to say the least. Today I'm back at my desk getting on top of things and having that shower in my own bathroom was unbelievably good. I'm shaky and weak this morning so sipping on an Optifast shake. I've been tracking food in My Fitness Pal. I was craving hummus for lunch yesterday - I saw it in the Qantas Lounge on the way to the plane haha - so when we went shopping for food I bought a tub and ate half of it for lunch. Then I tracked it and the calories are unbelievable! I thought it was mainly chick peas but the half a small tub was about 850 calories so I won't be doing that again. Michael is going to make me some and put only a tiny bit of oil in it so it should be a lot lower in calories hopefully. I hope all this is of some use to others about to undergo this procedure! Or else I've just been rambling to no purpose I think I can start puree today but tbh I've been eating thicker stuff like hummus and yogurt already.

With the rapid hormonal changes…. Its has increased moodiness and just sometimes my emotions being everywhere. Everything is changing so fast and with my body trying to catch up, im feeling it psychologically. I know itll get better in time. Just was hoping i wasnt alone in this.. transition

I was swallowing my normal pills the next day in the hospital but I was also drinking pretty good. And when I got home I could take my tablets just fine. If you are worried, though, order some bariatric advantage chewables. They taste decent and you can get them with and without iron. I actually took them the first month just cause they are a little lower iron than my SADI specific vitamin and I wasn’t eating as much to stomach the iron. It won’t hurt to have a couple of options on hand. Even if you have auto ship (which if you don’t have that you should look into it once you know what works for you because you save money and it’s one less thing for you to remember) you can skip a shipment anytime if you end up with too many vitamins. Also the bariatric advantage calcium chews are a good alternative to tablets and they are quite tasty (like candy). I still take them because I like them. They are a bit pricey but for the first month you don’t have to worry about swallowing issues and them being individually wrapped and not needing a drink is pretty convenient. I just keep a handful in my pocketbook and they are always with me when my alarm goes off. For the multi vitamin I use the procare health They are quite complete and reasonably priced. On their site you can do authorship and save some money. My labs have alway been great. Even now while I’m in the middle of chemo and have diarrhea everyday. That is one thing to keep in mind though. What works for me may not work for you. Whatever you do decide to go with take it with you when you go over your labs. You doctor may want to see how much of a specific vitamin is in there. They all have the same stuff for the most part but they have more or less of the different vitamins. If you end up being low in something you can always add that one vitamin but if you high you may need to switch to a different multi that has less a little less of that vitamin. I did the Pro care health multi with 45 mg I believe of iron after my sleeve and post revision I do their multi for the SADI which has higher ADEK and IRON that we need after DS or SADI. Ooh and it’s not a bad idea to eventually have one multi without iron on hand for days where you need to fast like lab days or if you aren’t feeling well and can’t eat enough to take it. I mean for twice a year you can just skip it but I’m doing a lot of labs and stuff right now that require me to miss it so I ordered an iron free and I feel better than I’m not missing all the other stuff at least. Also be sure to tell you Dr you take a BARIATRIC multi because some labs can be thrown off with the higher levels of vitamins. And if something is way off just google that and vitamins and see if that could be the issue to mention to your dr. I think it was biotin and cortisol that was my most recent one that was thrown off.

No, no difference, however, it is important to remember that everyone loses at their own rate & there is no right or wrong rate. So many get very anxious that they’re not losing enough or fast enough. It’s not a race and every pound is a win. I always say celebrate every pound you lose. You’ll discover there is a lot of variation in the pre surgery diet @RuizAyres but we always say it’s best to follow your plan and not someone else's. I know my surgeon gave different patients different plans based on their health status, current weight, etc. it could be three shakes a day or two shakes & one protein plus vegetables meal a day. It could be no shake but milk like @summerseeker. The 3 or 2 shake plans tend to be the most common. He put me in keto for the two weeks prior. There’ll be slight variations in the post surgical plan too. Also, not sure your age, I was almost 54 when I had my surgery and there are people here who were in their 60s and 70s so you’ll be fine. There was a thread a little while ago called 50 and over I think. You could search for it as you might find it interesting. Found it:

Okay that milk of magnesia works miracles. I thought it was still going to be a strain but it wasn’t bad at all and it worked so fast. Like two hours or three maybe and I started with the lower dose. I am so relieved because my anxiety had me half believing that I had an obstruction. Thank goodness that is over for now. My NP said if I want to cut back from 2 stool Softeners a day I should do 2 then 1 Back and forth for little while before I go to Just one. But she expects based on what I have explained I probably need two until I am able to eat some fiber and more fluids.

Got my new Walking Shoes today and they are really cute and Super comfy. I’m pretty excited that I did my first big walk tonight. I was a little nervous about how I’m going to look all sweaty and gross walking around the neighborhood but I’ve decided that’s something I’m just going to have to get past somehow and I did it. This is for me not anyone else. I only went 30 minutes and it wasn’t super fast. According to my watch it was 1.26 miles but so far I’m not hurting!! I haven’t walked around the neighborhood in so many years so this is a pretty huge thing for me. When I had my sleeve I did the treadmill and that got boring so it didn’t stick. I’m hoping that this is something that I will keep up and maybe it can lead to biking or something else eventually.

I haven’t tried this yet but I just got another idea for a gadget that will come in very handy if it works like I think it will. A coffee mug warmer. For the broth and the cream soups for full liquid for sure. And maybe even the purée and soft stage since everything is supposed to be real moist. But At least for this soup stage because it just cools off so fast. The more I think about it this may not be as helpful for everyone with tiny tummies since you can only eat like 3 bites early out anyways. I am a little different since they didn’t operate on my stomach. Supposed to keep my portions small but I physically can eat more.

Hello and welcome in the forum. There is a whole thread listed as Bariatric grief, its very worth a read. I had mine pre surgery. Anything with noodles was my thing. I had lots of Asian food funerals. I promise, it gets better. I eat everything I feel like except I cook it or it comes from a quality restaurant. I live in a part of the UK with out fast food places and the only one is a Dominos Pizza, I dislike the price £20, so would make it at home if that was my thing. I can eat a good amount of good icecream and some good chocolate, too much and I puke. I can eat a Magnum for instance. I eat Falafel with Tzatziki regularly and thats the first time I ever heard of it being off anyones menu. I bake it rather than fry it. I have had some Pad thai but its not really a thing for me anymore as I can eat so few noodles. I will go for Tom Yum or Tom Kha at our Fav restaurant. I can not eat anything ultra blitzed like Guacamole, shudder ... the puree stage has left a memory on my soul. I tried making it chunky but my brain will not accept it. All those slimming classes did have something to tell me after all. Being skinny is better than a bowl of the very best tasty noodles. Saying that .... if I could eat them I would, but not every meal, every day or week.

He just had me work an elastic band and said to do that but I ended up not doing it. But I can walk probably for 2 minutes or so everyday and increase it to 3 minutes next week. Especially when I have to go to saranac next week for my last followup before my surgery. I kind of want to tell them I've been exercising. I don't have a smartphone my wife has one and brings it to work with her everyday but I have a computer that I can setup reminders on. I go on it every morning so it would work perfectly. If that doesn't work I do have a tablet that I can use for reminders but I'm not on my tablet very much. I mostly just go on my tablet to check my email once every few days. My team will be taking good care of me after my surgery yeah. Even if I choose not to have the surgery they want to keep me in the program because I'm overweight and eligible. But I want the surgery because it should be a good tool for losing weight. Next Wednesday is just around the corner and hopefully I'll get all of my questions and concerns answered. I think even if I'm hungry though as long as I fill up fast I don't think I will eat as much as I am now. My problem is I am NEVER full even if I eat 3k calories in one sitting. It's ridiculous. The surgery should definitely change that.

I am sorry to hear about the top part. As far as your question, I am gaining weight so fast, I am back on my liquid diet. My surgery was only a year ago. It has been hard to lose weight despite not eating much and changing diet.

This is something I went through and I agree, it isn't as fun as it looks. For me, it was connected to me eating to fast, which translates to not chewing well enough. Things got stuck, or nearly stuck, and off I go to the private party room. This can irritate the surgery and cause swelling and/or be exceptional sensitiity for days Don't worry, you very likely are not harming your surgery. Things eventually worked out, I kept focusing on doing it right and it eventually became my new normal. Keep focussing on doing it right. Good luck, Tek