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If you had heartburn prior to surgery I'm surprised that your popular doctor performed the VGS instead of the RNY gastric by-pass (which usually resolves reflux, heartburn, GERD). Many of the sleeve patients on this board have had revision to RNY a few years after their first surgeries. While your first 14 day diet does sound alien, your new stomach is healing. The clear liquids won't harm it, and you are getting calories from the grape and apple juices. (Most of us are told to avoid fruit juices, which contain more concentrated sugar content and lack fiber, which would make fresh fruit a healthy choice.) Two weeks of clear fluids sound daunting. Good luck! Let us know how it turns out.

My surgery is on December 21 and today (the 19th) I started the "clear-liquids only" prescribed. I can have clear-liquids only tomorrow and then nothing after midnight with surgery the following morning. Fortunately, my clinic is pretty liberal about what is a clear liquid. I can have coffee and tea (no milk or cream), low-cal fruit drinks like Ocean Spray Diet 5, broth, sugar-free fruit-flavored drinks and sugar-free sports drinks, plus sugar-free Popsicles and sugar-free Jello. I made up three batches of the Jello to have on hand. I'm drinking a cup of one of these clear liquids every hour and so far am not hungry. I will have one day of clear liquids in the hospital post-surgery, then start full liquids the second day in hospital, continuing at home through day 7. Full liquids will include strained cream soup, milk, greek yogurt, vegetable juice, Cream of Wheat, broth. Mid-morning, mid-afternoon, and evening, I'm supposed to add 4 oz of high protein drink. Good luck to you, Surgery Buddy. See you on the Losers' Side!

It's my first-week post-op and I am supposed to be drinking protein shakes but it's too thick for my stomach and I feel sick. What can I do to help this? Or is it a waiting game at this point? Sent from my SM-F711U using BariatricPal mobile app

I'm about a week post-op and whenever I go to the bathroom I feel faint and go to sleep for 30 minutes or an hour before then wake up in a rush to go. When it happens it is diarrhea and burns so badly. Is this normal or should I contact my doctor? Sent from my SM-F711U using BariatricPal mobile app

Okay, I had my sleeve done on Wednesday the 15th and I still feel like crap. I had my pre-op tests done on the 13th (full body scan, blood test, and routing checkup with the surgeon) and went into op around 8am that Wednesday. I know the time frame is weird, but considering the fact that the surgeon does 2 to 3 bariatrics surgeries a day (popular guy), I felt pretty comfortable doing it. I wanna start off by saying, I'm quite amused at the level of "attention" and pre-reqs that is required in the U.S. It is super unnecessary, a sleeve is probably one of the easiest major surgeries that can be performed. I actually felt sad for the people that had to undergo years of testing and check ups and even liver operations just to be able to do it. Don't waste your money and time on that and just find a reputable surgeon abroad who will most likely do it at 1/10th of the cost while being much more experienced with it (I was treated like a client/customer whenever I conuslted a doctor in the U.S. rather than a patient). Now that I got all the negativity towards the American healthcare system, I want to ask a few things about my current diet. For the most part, most post-op diets are similar but I don't understand how some people go hard on protein during the 1st phase when my diet doesn't involve any protein until the 5th week. First 14 days is clear liquids, and the nutritionist/surgeon literally just advised me to drink white grape or apple juice (peeled,strained, added water, no added sugars), broth water (no fat, no seasonings, bleh), and herbal drinks (no caffeine). How the heck is my body supposed to stay alive on what I suppose is basically nutrient weak foods? I'm still alive obviously, but I don't see how I won't be turned into a skeletal frame by the end of the 2nd week on this diet? I asked my doc "am I gonna be alive to even enjoy solid foods in a couple of months if I stick to this diet?", to which he replied "don't worry buddy, trust the process".(okay he didn't actually say that, but it was something among the lines of it'll be okay if you stick to it). I mean I trust the process, but I don't really trust the science behind it. Why do some people have the luxury of being allowed to eat SF Jello, ice pops, protein shakes, puddings, etc. just a few days after surgery when my diet is so harsh? How is not having any protein over 2 weeks a good thing? I had a natural weight loss journey before (300 to 185) and it involved a LOT of protein and little to no carbs/sugar + high fat for muscle building, so this just sounds so alien to me. Not sure if this helps, but I'm a 28 y/o male, current weight 258 ideal 170. I was prescribed anti-heartburn meds, pain meds, and blood thinners as well as a weekly dose of B-12. Sent from my SM-N970U using BariatricPal mobile app

Are you sure it’s still just clear and not full liquids. I know you can have a few weeks of clear ahead of surgery but usually a week after surgery you move to Full liquids

Friday afternoon I got the phone call that my surgery was approved by insurance and was given a March 1st surgery date. The wait is longer than I expected but it makes sense since my surgeon needs more time to complete the bypass (revising from sleeve due to GERD) and a hiatal hernia repair. Financially it works out better for me too. It gives me time to pay some extra on bills since I'll be out for 2+ weeks. Between now and surgery day Inhave lots of appointments for labs, dietitian, pre-op physical with my PCP, and a huge appointment with my bariatric nurse and then a 1 hour appointment with my surgeon and another endoscopy. I get to do my surgeon's 10 day pre-op diet again. This is bringing back a lot of memories from when I had the sleeve 7 years ago. The post op diet has changed during that time. Food texture progression is much slower this time. I think that will be good though. Sent from my Z6201V using BariatricPal mobile app

I had my surgery December 6th….I’m REALLY struggling. Tomorrow will practically be week 4 of clear liquids and I can’t tolerate them anymore. My stomach will reject them and I am scared to vomit. Any tips? Or is anyone else dealing with this as well. My doctor simply says you need to drink …which is no help.

My program doesn't do calories. It's stupid crap like "half a cup of food five times a day" which could be 20 calories if I eat it as cucumbers or 2000 if I eat it as mayonnaise. My nutritionist, who is not affiliated with my program (I fired the program's nutritionist, which I chronicled elsewhere on this site), has me on about 1600 cal a day at three months out. 135 g protein, 130 g carbs, 60 g fat.

One thing I learned was that my surgeon's "nutritionist" was someone who'd gotten a minor cert and was literally reading from a booklet. Find an actual nutritionist or better yet a registered dietitian who has long experience with bariatric patients. In case you didn't hear it: 800 calories is WAY. TOO. LITTLE. I eat twice that at three months out and am losing 2 lbs. a week or so. Bump up your calories to 1000 or even 1200 for a week or two and see what happens.

Don't freak out. Seriously, it will be okay. If you look up "three week stall" on BariatricPal, you will find almost 20,000 posts about it. It happens a LOT. And it's nothing you're doing wrong—it is literally your body rebalancing itself (particularly fluids) after a traumatic surgery. It will break. Mine did—it came late and lasted about a week and a half and suddenly WHOOOOOSH went the scale. I had all the same worries and made a post here and everything. It WILL break. You will continue to lose weight! And once you're fully on solid foods you'll feel the restriction.

Post your food log. (No editing!) Are you very active? I stalled and stalled HARD at around 1000 calories a day because I work out a lot and I work outdoors. I was actually expending more energy in a day (beyond the calories required just to exist in stasis) than I was taking in and my body literally went into "we are starving, conserve every pound possible" mode. I now eat about 1500-1600 calories a day (three months out) and it's still slow loss, but it's not stalled. The problem is, I literally can't eat enough to get where I need to be (per my NUT) without eating junk food, which I refuse to do.

Zoe don’t be too hard on yourself. In a month I have managed to eat every single thing they have told me to avoid. I just do not eat much of it. While I used to destroy a carton of ice cream, I was completely fine with a few bites. One slice of pizza at my favorite restaurant doesn’t kill me. I am full and feel like I deserve the reward after a long week. I don’t look at these things as failing. I look at them as adjusting to my new life. It is not realistic to think that I am going to live the rest of my life avoiding everything on the very large naughty list. The naughty list is things that I eat less of. No longer an entire large pizza. Now a slice. No longer an entire box of Chips Ahoy. Now three with some skim fairlife milk. And I am still losing my 2 to 3 pounds a week which my doctor says is healthy weight loss. Some days I don’t get enough protein. Other days I get extra. There is nothing magic that happens at midnight that resets your nutritional needs. If I average out enough protein a week I am happy. There is a support group here in Miami which is helpful because you get to hear first hand from people a year and later post op how they eventually fell into a routine and now most people seem to not think of their surgery as a burden like I feel it is now. I keep reminding myself that this is a lifetime lifestyle surgery and not a quick fix. Losing 100 pounds in 2 months would be very satisfying but is not healthy for your organs or your healing. I do get jealous of the people who can eat whatever they want. Some of my favorite foods do not sit well at all with me. Eggs are still a no for me. Shrimp is death. My favorite chips and the spicy salsa at my Mexican restaurant had my drenched in sweat on the curb trying not to vomit in the gutter while my friends frantically went for the car. We never even got to order the meal. My surgeon for my 30 day follow up said that with time I will be able to enjoy small amounts of all these things again and to just continue to proceed cautiously. He is pleased with my weight loss and my healing and that is all you can ask for.

Does anyone else feel like they’re failing at this? I can’t seem to get enough fluids or protein. Nothing seems to be bothering me diet-wise (just started phase 3), but still can’t seem to get the hang of it. Then, tonight I had like a 1/5th piece of veggie pizza. Of course I feel super guilty and like I’ve ruined myself or something, which I doubt is the case, but still. I have eaten what feels like nothing but lunch meat and protein shakes, a few little bits of grilled chicken. Had a few little broccoli florets and nothing is kicking back. I keep waiting for some sort of recourse, and I guess I’m lucky??? But trying to make just healthier choices, chewing super well, etc. I think unflavored protein powder may have to become my new best friend over these next few weeks, maybe longer. I can’t eat very much at all, unsurprisingly, and that makes it difficult to get adequate protein. I actually don’t even know where I’m going with this. I just feel like I’m doing it wrong and ruining everything. First week post op I lost an obscene amount of weight, but I don’t feel like I look any different. I want to keep momentum and keep losing, but also do things sustainably so that I can stick with it. is anyone else struggling to find a good rhythm? I can’t be alone in this, right?

Several people have mentioned that at this point 800 cal/day is too low, your body is probably in starvation mode. Try to increase to 1000 cal/day, same type of food but slightly larger portions. This will help you feel fuller while hopefully kickstarting your metabolism again. Drink a LOT between meals to fill up your stomach too (but wait at least 30 minutes after eating before drinking anything). I personally hate drinking water so I drink lots and lots of crystal light lemonade. It has almost no calories and is still 99.99% water. Try supplementing your breakfast with a protein shake. That will help you reach your protein goals while also filling you up. I drink one Premier Protein every single morning after breakfast (Chocolate flavor!) It feels like I'm treating myself and I'm adding 30 grams of protein every day. That usually keeps me satisfied until lunch. You said you're logging now - are you also weighing your foods? If not, you are likely grossly underestimating your portion sizes. My wife made a chicken stir-fry for dinner tonight and I decided to have some - I weighed out 4.5 oz into a bowl and it looked like a VERY small portion - she was shocked when I told her how much it was, it was actually a little more than I've been eating lately (3-4 oz per meal). It was actually really filling though, but if I just eyeballed it I almost definitely would have eaten too much and not even realized it. The "surgery is a tool" can mean several things. For some (most?) it provides an automatic restriction so that you physically can't eat as much as you used to without getting sick. For those who had gastric bypass, it also provides an incentive for what you're eating to be healthy in order to avoid dumping syndrome. Bypass patients also get the benefit of malabsorption. For others, it's the knowledge that you underwent major permanent surgery as a last ditch effort to get healthy and that can help change your mindset about eating. I'm in the position to have gone through both major weight loss surgeries. I had the sleeve in December 2016 and lost about 120 pounds in about six months. I was a regular on the forums here, I tracked every single bite (my personal recommendation is My Fitness Pal - I also weighed myself every morning (which is not always recommended) and took a full body photo with the app once a week to see my progress), Then I had some personal/profession issues which screwed up my schedule and my mindset and slowly began to gain weight back. I stopped tracking, stopped eating healthy, and all of a sudden a few years later I realized I had regained almost all of the pre-surgery weight. I was depressed, upset, embarrassed, ashamed, but I decided to do something about it and I went back to my doctor (I had stopped going to appointments too) and he said I was a good candidate for revision surgery to gastric bypass. It's been just over 4 weeks since that surgery and I'm down 36 pounds so far - not losing as quickly as the first surgery, but still losing. I still track religiously, and follow the meal plan exactly the way it was given to me (first month, soft high-protein foods with no fruits and veggies, no sugar, no bread, pasta, etc.), just starting my second month by adding some veggies to every meal. I had a couple of brief stalls but I kept with the program and they went away. I've been slowly increasing my daily calories and that has helped as well (still below 1000 most days but I've gone as high as 1200). In order to feel like I'm not depriving myself of sweets, I have one or sometimes two containers of sugar-free chocolate and vanilla swirl Jello every day. Last time after a few months I added a small portion of Halo Top ice cream as a daily dessert - very low calories, low or no carbs, and delicious. It's important not to feel that you're depriving yourself. Another thing to look at is your sleep - are you getting enough sleep? When I get a good night's sleep I lose about a pound over night. The times when I don't get enough sleep are the days I notice a stall or even a slight increase in weight. Given your starting weight is there a chance you have sleep apnea? I was diagnosed with sleep apnea several years ago and started using a CPAP, my sleeping improved dramatically. Ultimately, the surgery is not a magic bullet, although when things are going well it can seem like magic, but that happens when you put in the work. It's not bullshit, or useless, it has helped many many people who have tried everything else (myself included). You said you lost 30 lbs so far, that's great! That's 30 lbs you probably wouldn't have lost without the surgery. Now you have to figure out how to kickstart the rest of your journey. To summarize, here's what I would do if I were in your place: 1 - Increase your calories - same healthy foods for larger portions 2 - Increase your protein - add a protein shake after breakfast if necessary (wait 30 minutes after eating first) 3 - Increase your liquid intake - drink water if you enjoy it, or mix up some crystal light lemonade or something similar, drink ALL THE TIME 4 - Get a good night's sleep 5 - Keep tracking everything - make sure you WEIGH everything you eat, never eyeball. You can get a basic food scale for 10 bucks 6 - Don't give up! I know it's frustrating but based on your posts you're in a tough headspace right now. If you keep going on about how the surgery is bullshit, useless, etc. it will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Good luck!

Do you see a psychiatrist for your antidepressant medication? Finding the right medication is a trial and error process. Since you are still depressed (sad), the one you are on may not be the best one for you, especially if it is interfering with your desired weight loss. Psychiatrists know far more about psychotropic medication than general practitioners. Here is the food plan that I have been on pre-surgery. I'm just three days away from my scheduled revision surgery. When I can eat regular food again I intend to go back on it. It's been very successful for me. Part of the success has been my recognition of trigger foods. I have cut out all sugar, flour, rice, potatoes, and processed foods and have lost 67 lbs to date. If I indulge in these things, I have to go through withdrawal all over again. Then, if I avoid my trigger foods, I do not have cravings. A Pound of Cure by Matthew Weiner, MD, a bariatric surgeon. He's written two other books, has a website and YouTube videos.

You might need more than 800 calories. I was supposed to get a minimum of 1200 as soon as possible after surgery. I've found that hard to get to sometimes and when I can't get there my weight loss stalls. It's entirely possible you are eating too little and that is sabotaging your efforts.

I am so sorry you're going through this. It is so frustrating, and I agree with you about our corrupt healthcare system. From reading comments, some people are blaming unvaccinated for the shut down of elective surgeries. Both vaccinated and unvaccinated are getting covid, so let's (collectively) not get on our high horses about being vaccinated. (I'm vaccinated but don't give 1,000 flips whether a person is vaccinated or not - your body, your choice). I had my surgery in August 2021 right before the idiot governor stalled elective surgeries. I was on a recovery floor half full of covid patients, all of whom were homeless and put there by the state - such a sham. The only thing that got my surgery pushed through was that I was self pay. My insurance covered it, but I didn't want to jump through their stupid hoops and I wanted control over the timing of the surgery. My surgeon's office staff told me that it helped to be self pay, because after all costs were paid by Blue Cross Blue Shield (my insurance provider), the surgeon only made about $1,500 for my surgery. So they pushed to get me through the day before elective surgeries were shut down by the state. I pay about $800 a month for insurance. I had Stage 3 cancer in 2019 and still spent about $25k in out of pocket costs. I paid $1,700 for a PT scan myself because it was going to take the insurance company over a month to approve the scan, and since it was cancer I didn't want to wait that long. The healthcare system is broken, and insurance companies are evil. I 100% agree that politicians should stay TF out of healthcare. They came up with the BS food pyramid and look how great that has worked out for us. (Read Good Calories, Bad Calories, it's shocking how political corruption and food lobbyists in the corn industry and others led to the obesity epidemic in the U.S.). It's the insurance lobbyists and the politicians who suck up to them with their hands out who have screwed us. Sorry to hijack your post! I'm just very passionate about corruption across the board in the US, especially when it comes to how it negatively impacts us as citizens. Good luck and keep us posted about how things go for you. Hang in there, the surgery is worth it. Sent from my SM-N976V using BariatricPal mobile app

Yes, I would do it again. My husband was not in favor (although he supported what I decided). A family member who is a doctor cautioned me that some of his patients had gained back all the weight. However, three of my doctors at teaching hospitals recommended it, and showed me the research. It’s been such a blessing, as finally I am able to lose so much excess weight (I thought I would go to my grave obese). And I feel that as long as I follow the eating guidelines, it will stay off. This is my answer, even though from what I gather, I had a much harder recovery than most people on this forum. I vomited multiple times a day for two months before it stopped. I did have regrets at first, but my surgeon said it would stop. Once the nausea subsided, it has been sunny skies.

Hi all! Had my surgery on 22nd November so im almost 4 weeks post op. The last 2 weeks though, ive noticed ill become really nauseous about an hour after dinner. Ive noticed its around when i take my iron supplement and rabeprazole(only have 2 doses of that left) . Im just finding it weird, its only after dinner ill have the nausea. Not sure if its because of the pills? Or something else? I knew nausea would be a side effect i might experience but the same time each day? Im not usually the one to vomit either but have been quite close to it at times! Takes me about 5-10mins of like meditating to make sure i dont vomit and then all of a sudden its gone. Has anyone experiences anything similar? Of course ill be asking my surgeon at my next appointment.

So I'll soon be moving to soft/regular diet phase and I was wondering how did your average calories look like 1 month, 2 months, 3 months etc post-Op? I believe Sleeve vs Bypass folks may have different # of average calories given the different anatomy. I do have a dietician's appt next week so just wanted to get some numbers. Wanna be prepared with any concerns or questions I have may.

So my scale seems to be finally moving after almost 10 days of stall post the clear fluid phase. Let's see how it does by the end of this month. I try to stay away from the scale but I keep getting drawn to it every morning 😂 I don't get too bogged down with stalls after having heard of them here for months now. So I don't mind weighing myself daily. I'll be happy as long as scale moves after a certain point and I hit appropriate goal every month. Hope everyone is doing well with their diets. I still have 11 more days of full fluid diet phase.

On week 5 of liquid diet - thank goodness surgery is the 22nd because I am having such a hard time the past week sticking to this liquid diet and I have cheated a few times. I am starving still - have been the entire 5 weeks. My stomach is constantly growling and everyone in my family can hear it all day and all night. I am so excited to get this done and not feeling the hunger pains anymore lol I can’t wait to see us all start loosing the weight and being healthy!

I had my surgery a week before you and I have lost 16lbs so I think you're doing amazingly well! Keep up the good work 💪

I believe it was because I moved to include meats 2 weeks post op and mashed foods (FF refried beans and right rice) and cheese.