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you can still lose weight because you'll still have the restriction - the only issue is the hunger suppression may not be as strong at this point. hair loss usually doesn't start right away - for a lot of people it starts around three months out, but it can be even later. Mine was months 5-9. I remember reading somewhere that if it doesn't start by about six months out, you're probably not going to experience it - but you're still in that range, so...

Plans are different & so are you. Some do stay on a stage longer because they’re just not ready to move on & that’s ok. Make your first purées really sloppy & runny or go for thick soups at first so you get used to that denser, thicker texture vs a liquid. Don’t give up on a food you struggled with. Our tummies can be a bit fussy & temperamental at first. Or sometimes things just taste disgusting. Try it again in a week or two & then in another week or so if need be. You’ll even find your tummy suddenly says no way to something you’ve eaten regularly but is fine with it again two days later. I used to say my tummy was like a petulant two year old child throwing random temper tantrums. That tightness across your chest is your restriction. You don’t usually start to feel until you’re on more solid food. It’s a signal you’ve eaten too much, too fast or eaten something too dry or too coarse, etc. You’ll work out your triggers - it’s a bit of trial & error. Stalls happen. The first one often is about week 3 +/-. Think of it as your body just needing a break. It’s been pretty stressed & needs to shut down for a 1-3 weeks. It does not mean you’re doing the wrong thing or failing … unless you’ve wildly gone off plan. It’s possible you’ll experience more than one stall along the way. You won’t put on weight by starting on the next stage unless you suddenly start eating huge portions (pretty darn impossible with your small tummy unless you put in a lot of effort to stretch it) or making poor food choices. You won’t be consuming more calories than your body needs to function. That’s the only way you’ll put on weight. And I’m not talking about our normal fluctuations ( fluid, constipation, life, etc.) As long as your general weight loss trend is downwards you’re doing great. It’s ok to go at your own pace. You’ll do fine.

I think it really depends on the surgeon. I went with one of the top bariatric surgeons in Australia, hes the one who first started using a minimally invasive method to do the surgery in Australia and trained other surgeons to do it that way. My surgeon and dietitian said its highly recommended to stay on the fluids for three weeks unless you cant tolerate the shakes. The only shake flavour ive been able to tolerate since surgery is the coffee one, the other flavours made be very nauseous, and even then having more than one of the coffee shakes per day made me nauseous. Ive mostly been living on fluids the three weeks, except for the cottage cheese every couple days. According to studies, its safe from a surgical perspective to start on puree at 5 days post op, but you dont have to if you dont want to, you can simply stay on the fluids for the three weeks. My surgery came with a complete package of the surgeon, registered nurse, dietition/nurtitionist, counselling and the fresh start program so i trust my highly experienced team who im in regular contact with. I didnt spend two years researching surgeons to just go with someone who doesnt know what theyre doing, i went with my surgeon for a reason, that hes one of the best in Australia. Im also a registered nurse so i really knew what to look out for when finding the perfect surgeon for me. Ive known some people who do 2 weeks fluids, 2 weeks puree, 2 weeks soft and then normal diet. Some ive known do only a couple days of fluids then by day 3 or 4 theyre on puree and then 2 weeks post op on a soft diet. So it really depends on the surgeon your with and who actually keeps up to date with the current research. Personally i wouldnt have gone with a surgeon who said puree at 3 days post op then soft at 2 weeks!

I had to wait until 3:weeks to have puréed. I was on liquids and then full liquids so that my stomach would have a chance to heal and adjust to what I was taking in. 5:days post op for puréed foods just seems really too fast to be introducing puréed foods to your stomach. In my opinion I don’t think your stomach is ready to handle a big change to food that quickly. I’m sorry if my opinion may upset you. Bit through my weight loss program including working with my nutritionist this is not a good choice at only 5 days post op.

Hello! I am currently day 9, sleeved 12/1. I had some complications, but am feeling 100 times better now. I am on full liquids until PO next tuesday, limited options, getting to the point where I can't stomach some things anymore. I cannot tell the difference between hunger and reflux. It feels like hunger! Its cramping, painful, and makes all sorts of noises( gurgling, sounds like growling.) Im still working on fluids but hit my protein goal( can down 10 oz of protein shake and 5 oz of yogurt, 3/4 cup of soup, all done in accordance to my plan). Its felt like this all week! Today is the first day I haven't felt it, or felt hungry. Im on 20 mg of omeprazole, and was on 10 before surgery because of reflux, over production of acid, etc. Is this what it is? Hunger? Help! Sent from my SM-N986U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

Hey! I'm 8 days post-op. My experience with renew wasn't be best ever, but I did okay. I struggled a bit at the end of clear liquids but now I am onto full liquids living my best life (haha). I'm down 4 lbs this week so just trying to keep on keeping on.

I was 47 when I had RNY gastric bypass twelve years ago. There was no "honeymoon" period where the pounds melted away for me. I do not believe this was age related because my surgical peers at the time lost weight at about the same rate as younger women. Nonetheless, I exceeded my surgeons goal and have maintained this with a lot of difficulty. An autoimmune disorder, hypothyroidism and medications are to blame for an average loss of less than half a pound weekly. Watching the scale go down and up then repeat was frustrating but I had a good experienced surgeon who also had the same procedure. The metabolically challenged as he put it need to stay on plan even when it seems there is no progress. Not what I wanted to hear at the time. I was angry and beginning to have regrets but a good support network "talked me off the ledge". After a year of following the rules I made changes to my doctor's plan. Using information from the body building community I Incorporated eating practices used to increase lean muscle mass. None conflict with the needs of gastric bypass patients. I researched options I believed could serve me better. At 17 months post op I made my desired maximum weight. I'm still pushing to get 5lbs lower. I deliberately left out the numbers. Not because it's a secret, I've posted this info in the past. Some individual readers may distinguish between weight/BMI classifications then rate difficulty and speed of weight loss to evaluate "success". That is not the point of my reply. Also, I make no claim to post op diet perfection nor do I blame metabolism for my obesity. No matter where you start at any age you will need to work your plan. You may work hard and see only small results as you watch surgical peers break their surgeons rules and do well. Further, you will likely have to make Healthful adjustments to augment your progress based on your needs. I've met many success stories since I committed to surgical intervention and I'm in good company. Today my weight is 30lbs up because of steroids, hypothyroidism, and binge eating disorder. It was 40lbs up a few weeks ago. Age is not the only issue in my struggle but "I Got This". This is one of a few episodes of rapid fat gain. I'm not talking about pounds and Water weight. You will not hear me say I've gained my weight back. What I've put on is fat but it's not mine and I'm not keeping it. I've learned how to "re lose" body fat and curb weight gain in spite of menopause and other factors. There is no secret to my maintenance. Never buy a larger size, period. Clothing measurement, not size number is my guide. I avoid stretch fabrics when I can without sacrificing style. I also monitor my body fat percentage. Formulas used by the YMCA and the military are easy to find. Ten years plus post op forced me to figure this out. A support network even before your procedure can help you learn what you need for the long term. If you have access to counseling or mental healthcare take advantage of it. Many of us with recently recognized mental health concerns like binge eating disorder and compulsive over eating do not know these illnesses exist. They can even be incorporated into a healthy post op eating plan with your nutritionists blessing. The more you know about why you are obese the easier and more successful your maintenance plan will be. Yes, I said maintenance plan. You asked for post op support but You WILL Succeed. We all find our way here because we want to be well and we all can be. I've included what I wished I knew pre op. This process is emotional as well as physical. Every pound lost is joyful but for some even a week with no change feels devastating. Get ready for the highs and lows knowing will be the Winner. Some famous writer somewhere is quoted as not having had the time to be conscise. For me include spell checking and grammar too. You have my story and I hope it's helpful. All the best!

Hi all, just checking in! 23 days out, 6lbs off. Third day of eating soft food, mostly fish so far, at about 1/4 cup per meal. Still having at least one protein shake a day too. Slightly harder to get the fluids in now because I'm so full after eating the proper food that I can't drink anything for an hour or more, so I've started pre-loading with fluids before meals. Have started getting on the cross trainer in the last 3 days - starting at 5 minutes and increasing by a minute a day. Still have some pain in my left side that with certain movements can be really sharp, and still wakens me at night sometimes. I have two holiday meals out next week, one with friends one with family, it'll be interesting to see how those go! No alcohol so far but I might try something this weekend because I really don't want my first glass of wine to result in disaster at a dinner in a restaurant. And that's my report! How are all of you getting along? Any plans for the weekend? I'm going to a nice festive concert tomorrow - really looking forward to that. Every day is feeling more normal.

I have been on 6 meals a day from day one. Usually about two of these meals are something like a protein shake or yoghurt. I think for Bariatric patients about 5 to 6 meals a day is the most common around where I live. I personally love it. I eat every two to three hours and therefore are never really hungry. Also I wonder how people get their protein and calories in on only three meals a day. I’m 14 weeks out and eating 800-900 kcal a day (85g protein). I don’t know how I would be able to get in in only three meals?! Also I read that your body can only process about 20-30 grams of protein at a time, so I like to spread it out throughout the day. Just make sure you’re committing to the meals and don’t start grazing.

I think fairly shortly after surgery I was allowed to have three "meals" and two small, planned snacks. But plans vary...

My program was also 3 meals a day, no protein drinks, no snacks, no exceptions. This was to be the program for the rest of my life and I was ok with it, or I wouldn't have done the surgery. We made a commitment and we stick to it. Period. Good Luck, Tek . . . ... until circumstances and requirements changed. When I was binge running at between 70 and 90 miles a week, my meals were upped to four per day, then five, then six, and I was still loosing too much too fast. Then we added a protein drink. So, no exceptions until there is a requirement for exceptions. Your situation reasonably could require a temporary adjustment. Until you can eat a full meal it may make sense to split it in half then eat each half a couple hours apart. It would address your hunger issue, your not eating enough issue, and your energy issue. Be careful that once you get to being able to consistently eat a full meal that you either adjust back to base plan, or commit the the six meal plan (of half meals). Both will work, mixing them could create problems. From my perspective the six meal thing felt like I was eating all day long and it was surprisingly annoying. Good luck, Tek

Hi everyone. I was sleeved on November 30th and am in the pureed phase. Ever since the surgery, I have been hungry. The surgeon and dietitian want me eating 3 "meals" a day. Naturally I get full on very little. The problem is that in between the meals, I am starving. Hangry. Weak. I go back to a classroom full of hormonal preteens excited about winter break next week and I simply will not have the stamina on so little calories. I am drinking about 50 ounces of water a day. I wish that in between breakfast and lunch I could have a tiny bit of cottage cheese and in between lunch a dinner maybe a bite of hummus. Would this really stall weight loss or interfere with my stomach healing? Is anyone on 6 meals vs. 3 during this phase? On the subject of stomach healing, yesterday I was so so hungry that I ate my dinner too fast, had the foamies and heartburn, and finally threw up. Misery. Will this damage, or stretch, the stomach (I feel irrational asking this, but I am a worry wort)? Thank you.

UPDATE: Since my last post I have made an effort to up my protein and drink more water. Wanted to see if that would trigger things to get moving. At first I THOUGHT things were moving in the right direction when instead of being around 246-248 I started coming in around 243 and 246. But then I got sick! I believe it's the flu. I also haven't been able to eat for about two 2 days in a row. Today is actually the first day in a week to where I felt ok enough to get up and do something. Anyway, even with being sick and not eating (not on purpose) I still only got down to 243.6!!! Like WTF is happening? Haven't seen my lowest of 241.2 since October 25th!! And obviously haven't gone lower than that since. I am feeling REALLY discouraged! And to make matters worse, it's not like I can say "Well the scale hasn't moved but the inches have" cause I haven't lost anything but .25, YES, ONLY .25, inches the last month!!! I'm not even sure what the hell else there is to do at this point. I'm sure no one has stalled this long. I mean, can I really use the "it's probably your body retaining salt/or water" excuse any longer? Can that even be possible after this long? I'm just not understanding. I have been eating like I normally have been for the last 4 months. Same types of foods and amounts with maybe a lil added carbs type foods (as suggested by the nutritionist) like beans here and there and stuff like brown/wild/multi grain rice, quinoa, etc. Not sure what else I can do. I have also been logging my foods again regularly and seem to be falling within my goals. My calories are usually between 800 and 900 (which my plans calls for between 800 and 1000 if still in the weight loss phase). Some days have gone slightly over. Carb, protein and fat within a good range too. I know the macros for someone consuming 1000-1200 calories a day roughly falls as follows: Carbs less than 75 grams (25%) Protein 75-105 grams (35%) Fats 45-55 grams (40%) Sugar less than 25 grams So for me still in the losing phase and staying around 800-1000 calories a day I've been staying as follows: Carbs 50 grams Protein 90 grams Fats 33 grams Sugar less than 20 but it's usually under 10 naturally, with what I eat. So I don't think I'm doing that wrong or being off on that but who the hell knows. I'm so ticked off with this and feel like I used to before the surgery where I used to do all the right things and still couldn't lose weight. I will be so angry if this is it for me cause I still have about 50-60 lbs to lose!!

Hi everyone! Ive been on liquids since my surgery date 3 weeks ago. Surgeon said puree would be find after the first 5 days. I did try some smooth cottage cheese and found if i ate too fast i would have some centralised pain like just below my sternum. So a couple days ago i was cleared to start soft foods! Im almost freaking out! Scared to start it! Will it agree with me? What if ill start gaining? As much as im so over liquids, im just so nervous to move to soft foods. Ive lost 11kg since the start of pre op, so in about 5 weeks. Im at 92.6kg now and in the past its always been around this weight ill get stuck and cannot move any lower no matter what i do. Been doing everything right, id just be so upset if i saw the scales go the wrong way so early on in this journey. Has anyone else been nervous to move to the next stage?

Remember the liquids you’re consuming as food (broths, shakes, etc.) count towards your daily fluid goal. I wasn’t interested in eating either. I sipped on them just like I did water. It is essential to ‘eat’ to get some nutrients into your body. It’s going through a lot. Do t stress it further by starving yourself. Start establishing a good eating routine, like three ‘meals’ a day, from the beginning to help set your new eating habits. (Mind you in the liquid stage I only had 2 ‘meals’ a day.) I continue to eat to routine 2.5yrs out. I just make adjustments to what I eat if I don’t feel hungry or don’t want to eat (like yoghurt instead of a full ‘meal’ or drop a snack). It’s how I ensure I get my protein in, don’t randomly pick at food between my meal & snack times & still consume enough calories to maintain. Good luck.

Make sure you're hitting your protein requirements. That's important - even if it's through protein shakes and water. I really struggled to eat during the pureed and soft food phases, and I stalled 4 times (almost one week on, one week off). It was really frustrating. So that's one BIG negative to not getting calories in. I'm still not great at getting food in, but my calories are now between 800 to 1000 (versus 400 to 600 max), and the stalling has stopped and I'm losing weight now at a steady pace. So I absolutely feel you on the zero-hunger thing! Just get that protein and your supplements and water in, and until you can eat more, be prepared for the possibility of stalling. Keep at it. It does get easier to eat.

Ok ladies as it’s almost Christmas let’s see some of the outfits you’re wearing to Christmas parties. We need a bit of cheer. But do better than me. I’ve been to three Christmas events in the last couple of weeks & didn’t take a single pxt 🤷🏻‍♀️ so I need to enjoy yours. Challenge issued.

I had my surgery the same day as you. I also had a extended hospital stay [5 days] because of swelling in my new tummy making me constantly vomit up every time I ate or drank. I had a miserable 2 weeks of this and felt like a fool for putting myself through this. My family were very worried for me and that made me feel more depressed. Then I got a urine infection turning my urine bloody which meant more meds to take I rang my dietician and she said - look just take the liquid penicillin. Try and drink as much as possible. Eat broth and rest as much as you can. Taking the pressure off worked after 2 days. I have 6 tiny meals a day, 2 of yogurt, 2 of soup and 2 of sieved cottage cheese. I am much better now and can sleep laying down. My mood has lifted and I am now taking all my meds and vitamins. I will play it by ear as to progressing to the next level next Wednesday. I hope you get the break you deserve too and see a little light down the line.

I was allowed to eat small amounts of starches months ago as well, but I just wasn't having it. LoL. So, I didn't eat any. Oh, correction, I would eat corn sometimes mixed with veggies. The wraps I eat are spinach wraps also. Go figure. I added that in October. And I loss weight eating them also, but the past few weeks it slowed and I added the sweet potato just 2 weeks ago. That and going up maybe an ounce and a half in intake. I had this grazing thing going on in early October right after my 6 month weigh in (which was shocking), but I was still ok. I grazed on carrots, cantaloupe, and almond slivers, lol. The grazing was scary because I didn't want it to trigger a habit, but one day it just stopped. Oh, it stopped when I increased by an ounce. I realized then that I could move to 5.5 ounces. That solved the grazing problem. So, maybe it was just natural progression that I've been maintaining g the past 2-3 weeks. I don't know. Wrap in October and sweet potato to weeks ago. That's all that changed. Until the sweet potato, I was concerned because I didn't want to keep losing. I had planned to speak with my surgery team this week to ask how to make it stop. But, it just leveled out. I'm hoping that's what this is (maintenance) versus being a stall that.might one day just go away, lol. But, either way, I'm happy where I am. Now my focus is just staying here.

I dont think that was dumping, you just ate to much to fast and made yourself vomit. You need to slowly move to solids. 3 weeks is early to have hair loss are you taking vitamins etc?

Welcome to the other side of this crazy adventure of life! The first 3 weeks can be challenging bc of all the new things to learn, but around week three it seems like alot of us have that realization that this could work lol! Good luck!!

thats what i want to know. Today i had a cup of chicken soup, and ate too fast, had chest pain, and threw it up. Im gonna be 6 weeks post op, had RNY and the most structure food ive eaten is just chicken soup and 1egg. That pain in my chest, thats not dumping correct? Im still doing yogurt and protein drinks daily. im terrified of solid food and feel "safe " this way. Oh, and im loosing hair, started at 3 weeks post op Sent from my SM-G973U using BariatricPal mobile app

I had that too. I think I only had it for the first week. I didn’t take anything. Mine only lasted a few seconds and then would ease up.

Man, I can't believe there's another guy with an MGB here! Thanks for posting, too. So here's what I've experienced: at 6 months or so, you start definitely having 'room' for more food - that feeling of complete satiety you feel now starts sloooowly waning. But at the same time, your body starts sending you clear signals it wants protein and veggies - and sometimes something quicker to burn, because you've dipped too low in calories. At least that's how my body talks to me, still. Google "post gastrectomy syndrome". It's kinda how we work. You get steered to something that looks like a Mediterranean diet, and your hunger will tell you if you've had enough. No hunger - stick to plan; more hunger - eat a little more, you're too low. It's very noticeable. My body wanted to stay at exactly 93.5 kg for a good while. On mornings of 93.2, I'd be hungry. Mornings on 93.8, not hungry at all. Then it decided 90ish was probably more to its taste, lost 2.2 kg/5 lbs in literally a week, just three weeks ago. Out of nowhere. Now that's where it wants to be. Again, you won't doubt the signals, that's one of the beautiful features of specifically MGB - the connection between eating and hormonal response is SUPER quick and 1:1. This might make more sense in 5 months or so, but just follow your plan, and let's talk when you get to that point. Final important thing for all MGB'ers (and maybe others, I don't know): you'll probably think "ok this is it" a lot during the journey. Hunger returns, you're having a hard time sticking to your calorie limit etc. But then it re-starts when the body is ready and it's super easy. And so on. I've had 6-7 of such start-stop experiences, and some day soon, it'll be the last. And that's fine. I'm at a good weight now. What I wanted to say: don't stress. You've got a great surgery. I felt completely normal at your stage, too - just satiated all the time Edit: just out of curiosity, how long is your bypass? Mine is 220 cm / 7.2 feet.

Thanks so much for posting all this. I’m one of those rare “dudes” here who just had the MGB 3 weeks ago tomorrow. I’ve lost 23 lbs. that’s good I imagine. Go to Dr next week for my 1st post surgery appointment. ive been very confused as to how and what I can or should eat once I get through this initial 4 week post op period. lots of mixed messages on these forums so hearing it laid out by another guy is a big help. I would like to know that once you hit the weight that you should be at, I need to lose another 85 lbs or so, how do you “return to a more normal eating life” and not continue to lose weight? That make sense? as I go along this new road, I will contact you if I have issues but so far I e had none of the typical post op things most folks do. by the way, I am 68 so it’s never too late to change your life. Goal is to eliminate future orthopedic issues in the lower extremities. thanks again for all this.