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What else is allowed on your program? Some are more lenient than others. Mine allowed tomato or strained cream soups, for example. Although lobster bisque has got to be one of the richest soups I've ever encountered. It's so full of calories and fat, not to mention lobster is not as easy to digest as, say, flaky white fish. I honestly can't imagine eating this 4 days post-op. Greek yogurt would be a healthier option, or strained cream of chicken soup. So, the issue with coffee is caffeine, which dehydrates. If you said you were getting 64+ oz water every day, no problem, I might shrug at a little bit of coffee. Some programs allow a cup a day. But given that you're struggling to hit even a much more modest 48oz goal, I wouldn't drink something that is known to dehydrate you. Could you try decaf instead? I drink a 32 oz travel mug of decaf tea every morning and it goes down so smoothly, better than water, and counts toward my hydration goal. Ultimately, taking a bite or sip of something forbidden isn't as big an issue as why you're doing it. When I am tempted to do something not approved on my plan, I have tried to ask myself why, and get to the bottom of it, because what can quickly undo all your best efforts and intentions is not being in a healthy headspace. Is there something going on that will continue to drive you to push the limits, or lead to a slippery slope? That's something only you can know. I totally understand how boring and disgusting the options get that first week post-op. But it's really such a short time. For me, my program allowed soft proteins at one week post-op. That's really not so long to wait. Your body doesn't need much right now. If you're like me, you don't even experience hunger yet. So "needing" something different is mostly head hunger, which can get a lot more dangerous as you go along. Bending the rules now makes it a lot more likely you will bend them later, too.

Hi. I had gastric bypass Monday the 18th. I am doing well, walking a lot. Today I had a few sips of coffee and I also am having a few sips of a lobster bisque soup. Technically neither of these things are allowed but I just needed something more than broth and protein shakes. I am also having trouble getting 48+ oz a day of liquids in. I’ve been consistently getting 36-40 but after that 40 it’s so hard. i guess my question is.. am i harming myself by jumping ahead by a few days? I understand it’s best to listen to my doctor but i am just struggling to do anything and tasting something different seems to have helped HW 324 SW (before liquid diet) 324 CW 296

I’d give the smaller a meals ago @NickelChip & @PandaMom1977 I know a few who did 6 small meals versus 3 larger meals. I was able to have one snack a day a couple of months out (can’t recall exactly when now) & I still snack now to get in calories & protein. One snack is my leftover breakfast. May be try making your plan approved meal but eat it across two sessions. It may help you get over this quirky, fussy tummy stage plus until you can eat a little more in regards portion size. Oh yes the protein shakes were awful. I discovered yoghurt drinks. So much nicer. Make your own by simply blending yoghurt with as much milk as you need to make it a drinkable consistency. Add whatever flavours you like. My high protein yoghurt brand (Australian company but they don’t make them anymore - grrr) made the ones I drank & I’d get 25-35g protein depending on the size.

Hi, I had a gastric band many years ago which I had removed in December 2023. I have just had a mini gastric bypass. 4 days in and recovery is going well. No pain meds as I have not needed them since leaving hospital. Am now officially sick of all the little protein rich soups I made and froze before surgery! Am making a Thai soup broth, to jazz things up a bit.

What about Turkey Jerky? I found some snack packs at Walmart (they are actually called Turkey sausage bites) that have 10g protein for 120 calories. The pack is pretty big too. I’m not super good at macros but it’s 7g fat and 2g carbs??

I recently tried a very natural protein bar made with nuts and egg white protein that I really liked. It was the Mammoth Bar in the goji berry flavor, available on Amazon. They're pricey but very good ingredients, and I found them to be super filling. 12g protein. I'd say they're a lot like the Rx bars, which are a bit cheaper and easier to find in stores. Worth keeping on hand for hikes or when you're going to be out all day.

HI all! I volunteered for my daughters field trip tomorrow, and its hiking. I cannot make my normal meals, they will have to be snacky. So far I am thinking beef stick, cheese stick, protein shake. These might be enough for the day as long as I eat breakfast before I go. It is an all day field trip. TIA!

The initial recovery period after surgery can be challenging, with unexpected pains and discomforts like gas pains and hiccups. It's unfortunate that you had to deal with those struggles, but it's encouraging to hear that you're pushing through them.If you're experiencing ongoing shoulder issues due to Ehlers Danlos, considering consulting with a specialist like the one at https://www.kevinkrusemd.com/grand-prairie-shoulder-specialist/ could provide valuable insights and tailored treatment options.

Oh I understand angry "gnome" days. 🧙‍♂️ My program also advocates only 3 meals and NO SNACKING.... It would seem 6 small meals cause there is no way I can eat 20 grams of protein in one meal. I haven't experienced pain or vomiting just discomfort. I drink the Latte Premier Protein shakes because they are less sweet than the others. I will add a vanilla one to my decaf coffee in the morning. I try Genepro unflavored in warm Chi Tea. It is definitely a struggle.... Since these issues, I have been "supplementing" zero sugar beef jerky cause 1 ounce is 13g of protein but then I battle the sodium. It is a roller coaster. I don't regret one minute just trying to navigate the new me. I found that I can eat chicken thigh but no chicken breast. I know some things can change from minute to minute so wwwhhhhheeeeee I just hold on for the ride. 🎢 @Arabesque I will let you know once I get the results.

Yesterday was no fun, not gonna lie. Having two meals in one day disagree with me to the point of several hours of pain and frequent vomiting is not something I'd care to repeat, so I'm taking it as a warning to go very easy with foods today. My program's recommendation was to have 3 meals daily and to supplement with protein shakes in between as needed, but they were very anti-snacking, which I do understand in the longterm. But I hate protein shakes, so I've felt this added pressure that if I can't eat enough protein in one sitting, I'm dooming myself to drinking something vile in a few hours. It's a recipe for taking one bite too many. However, I went to the dietician the other day and she was asking about snacks, and seemed surprised when I said I didn't have any, just the protein shakes. She even suggested I may need to add in a snack or two! So now it seems I can have several small meals instead of protein shakes and they're fine with it. Talk about mixed messages! I swear they don't read their own booklets sometimes. Anyway, I'm going to experiment with smaller portions size and more frequent meals to see if it helps. If it's just a few things that trigger the tummy issues, I'll chalk it up to not being able to tolerate those foods. If it continues with no pattern or becomes more frequent, I'll definitely talk to my doctor's office to rule out a stricture.

I agree with NickelChip, your PCP not knowing about the surgery is not a big deal IMO. What is most important is that YOU understand your surgery and whatever anatomy you end up with, and that you are able to communicate that to emergency responders and ER doctors in an emergency. Everyone close to me knows what surgery I've had done, knows the technical term for it, and it is in my phone's health info that emergency responders can access. A lot of SADI and DS patients carry a card illustration of their surgery in their wallets or on their phones. When I was considering the SADI and two surgeons recommended I do the DS instead I had reservations. I live in North Carolina and we have some really stellar bariatric surgeons here in Raleigh. But I plan on moving back to New Zealand in the next few years and DS surgery is really rare there, there are only 2 surgeons I know of in the country who can perform it and they are both in Auckland. My surgeon here told me as long as I planned on having the first few years locally here in Raleigh, and as long as there was one surgeon that could be consulted about my care in the area I move to, I should be fine with the DS... The same applies to the SADI. What we tend to forget is that people have surgery on their small intestines for a variety of reasons besides bariatric surgery. Cancer, Crohn's, etc... Many people have designer insides and while not every gastro doc is trained to do a DS or SADI, they have the technical skill to find a surgeon to consult with about your surgery should they need it. In terms of your PCP what she most needs to know is that it is vital to order a FULL panel of bariatric labs for you at least once a year, as well as at any point if you start having symptoms of a vitamin deficiency or protein deficiency. She'll also need to watch your iron levels. These are things a PCP can do. She also needs to be in good communication with your surgeon if she has any questions. Doctors act like they can't talk to each other, but they can. I have an autoimmune GI condition that causes ulcerations sometimes (like Crohn's) and my bariatric surgeon actually called and consulted with my GI doctor to ensure they were on the same page about the surgery and to ensure it was a safe surgical option for me. That made me feel SO well cared for! My PCP has a sister who had the sleeve done so she's familiar with the bariatric surgery options. She is well read, researches what she needs to, knows how to consult when she needs more info, and trusts me to tell her what I need when I need it. For me, that's the perfect PCP. I don't need her to understand the complexities of my surgery. I just need her to know when she's out of her depth and needs to refer out to a GI doctor, my bariatric surgeon, or the ER.

Its pretty insane! I have upped my calories, just making sure that I hit my protein and water goals. I eat 50g of carbs and 30-50g of fat. Its all "healthy fats" but its falling off a lot quicker than I anticipated! Which I guess is a good thing? I saw you comment about just trusting my body and letting it do it thing but I adjusted my goal to 170 that puts me in the "normal" BMI section. I am trusting the process, but its sus LOL We both are killin it!

Hello @Bypass2Freedom I used the Spire group too. I had wonderful care and was totally happy with my team. I stayed in hospital 4 days because of a few minor issues I was having and then a 5th day because of a power cut in my town. They said I couldn't go home to a cold house. No extra charges were levied either. I had zero pain. The head nurse and the dietician gave me their personal phone numbers in case I had any problems or questions along the way. My pre op was 3 weeks of milk and veg basically but your surgeon may want different. They asked me to take dressing gown, nightwear and slippers to the hospital. No need for a long telephone charger cable in our hospitals. Take some lip balm. My surgeon was against protein shakes so after my op I had milky coffee, home made shakes and Bovril or broth to drink. Puree was not for me, I had either tinned or home made soups sieved or mashed any lumps. When I came home I bought a bed wedge because I got reflux. I needed a thermos cup because my hot drinks were always going cold. It takes a long time to drink anything in the first few weeks. With Amazon having next day delivery, if you need something its so quick, its pointless stock piling stuff you may not need in advance. The hormonal changes are something that I had. I was very tearful and had full on PMT. I was 60+ so it came as a shock to me. There have been a few people on here who have become pregnant very quick after the surgery. If that's a problem then a chat with your GP might help.

surprise, surprise : a salad. i cut up one rib from yesterday's slow cook for a protein topping. also a pic of the leftover ribs.

Welcome! Click on the little drop down arrow next to your profile name at the top of the page and select My Tickers. You create the ticker and then it gives you options for making it public and adding it to your signature.

i had an arm lift (and breast lift, and tummy tuck...all in one shot in Dec 2019). i always disliked my upper arms. when i was thin (and thought i was fat) i was self conscious of what i thought was the size of them and rarely wore sleeveless tops. then when i actually got fat i NEVER wore them. if i had to go to an event the warranted (an arm-baring) dress, i always wore a shawl. fast forward to the weight loss and i was left with some saggy jiggly upper arms. while they looked okay when my arms were at my sides, i really did not like the look of them flapping in the wind when i raised them, lol. and i raise them alot, ha...i'm one of those raise-your-arms-in-the-air-and-wave-them-like-you-just-don't-care kinda gals, lolololzzz. so i had them done about a year post op (6-ish months after i reached goal). LOVE EM. while i did wear sleeveless again after the weight loss, i feel a lot less self-conscious about them after the arm lift. and really, it makes all the difference :).. now i do have very prominent scars on my arms (i scar very badly, and knew this going in), but for some reason the scars dont bother me as much as the flapping did. Go figure. recovery is no joke though, i'll be honest. had i not done too much too soon, i would probably have been good to go by 6 weeks...but i didn't, so my recovery was more like 3+ months. that was over 5 years ago now, and i've been wearing tank tops and other sleeveless tops all year round since, hahaha. it really all boils down to what YOU are comfortable with...i was told by countless of people that i didn't need to/shouldn't get it done. but i got it anyway, because the only person who can say i need it is ME. if you have the means and the desire, the option is yours. Good luck! ❤️ some pics: 1st link: 6 months BEFORE the arm lift 2nd link: Day before VS 3 weeks after arm lift 3rd link: 6 months AFTER the arm lift

March 26th Band removal, wait two months then Sleeve. The liver shrinking took a few days to get use to but have lost 12lbs, Mostly water I'm guessing. I like the Whey 30g chocolate, the Premier plant based 25g is nasty but doable. I find one meal, protein ,one pork chop, one piece of chicken with some legumes, mozzarella cheese, sardines and romaine lettuce has helped. End of day is great for hunger since not real hungry during the day. It is so incredible how carbs have ruined me. So addicted to them. Now I hope I will never go back to white rice, white potatoes, pasta, or bad breads. From 397 to 385 and I feel it,

I've heard from friends who've had success with non-medication approaches like mindfulness meditation or establishing a consistent bedtime routine. Have you tried any of these? Also, I've heard you can buy zopiclone online as a solution to insomnia. I haven't personally tried it, but it might be worth looking into if you're open to exploring different options. Just remember to always consult with your healthcare provider before trying any new medication, especially if you're already taking other medications.

Premier protein is the brand I use and what I would do is mix a shake with some decaf coffee. Takes some of the sweetness away. Also I made jello with peach protein waters from premier. For me drinking the shakes are sometimes very challenging. I try to drink one in the morning during my commute. I leave the house at 430 am so i can normally finish it with in an hour.

lol. You reminded me of the sugar free gummy bears I didn’t have an issue with them but I didn’t like them so I didn’t have but one maybe two. I sent them home with my friend who was living a couple of hours away so she ate the rest of the pack on her way home 😂 . She now buys those instead of bothering with fiber or laxatives when she is constipated she swears they work better. I am really hoping that my sleeve is still okay. That’s one of my questions for the surgeon is what happens if he goes in and it’s bigger than it should be. He is the one that don’t it and he is known As an excellent surgeon but For whatever reason I could eat more than I should’ve been able to at every given stage from day one when I was drinking without any issue. I also had very little pain post op so maybe I just advanced through the stages faster because of less swelling or something?? At first I questioned whether they even did the surgery but I definitely do haxe Restriction it’s just not as much as some peoples Anyways, I definitely need to save this post for future reference. In terms of all the dining out options and potential trigger foods this is such valuable information!!

Caffeine is usually restricted for the first few months in a virgin DS/SADI surgery to help prevent dehydration. You may not have this restriction put on you since you already have your sleeve and should keep food and fluids down fine post-op since they probably won't resleeve you unless yours was done wrong. Even if they put you on caffeine restriction, it is only for a little while. There is no reason to restrict it long term, it doesn't harm the digestive system. My partner loves to dine out and we don't have kids, so I've been eating out since a month after surgery. I am careful with my choices, the first thing I ate out was grilled swordfish and sauteed green beans. It was fine. I've since eaten Thai curries (mild), pho without the noodles (they put veggies instead), sashimi, fajitas with guacamole and cheese sauce (no tortillas, rice, or beans), steak (ribeye is my favorite and digests better now than it even did pre-op), wings, traditional Chinese food (nothing fried, no rice), Peruvian chicken, the list goes on and on. I try to stick to protein/veggie options. Anything I wanted to eat at a restaurant I tried to have a version of at home first to know how it would affect me. I tolerate most things pretty well, though it seems my digestive system prefers baby spinach over iceburg or romaine lettuce, but that's not a huge sacrifice. And I can't eat beans at all, but I never really tolerated them pre-op either. Also I try not to have too many cruciferous veggies at once (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage), as they cause bloating, but I had that problem before surgery too. (I have had IBS and an inflammatory bowel disease since I was a teenager.) That said I try to make healthy choices in general whether eating out or eating at home. DS patients don't really need to restrict fat because we malabsorb so much of it (regardless of what the dieticians tell you) and SADI patients can eat a moderate amount of fat as they malabsorb a moderate amount of fat. Too much fat in one sitting can cause diarrhea, but you'd have to really make an effort to do that, and any bariatric surgery other than the sleeve can cause that issue. Coke Zero does not have sugar alcohols in it, it has Splenda, so it is fine from that perspective. Carbonation is only an issue if it bloats your sleeve. However, it can cause you to be hungry faster, or cause gas due to the air bubbles, so it isn't the best habit to have long term. But it won't piss off your intestines. I switched to unsweetened iced tea and carry Splenda or Equal packets with me! Sugar alcohols are things like erythritol, xylitol, and malitol. Allulose can also cause gastric upset depending on how tolerant you are of it. I can usually have a little of any of those, but more than a tablespoon and I'll be in the bathroom half the night. 🤣

I had my surgery on the 13th as well, although my surgery was the sleeve. So here we are, a day away from our first week with our new internal mechanics. Iʻm just going to take a minute to congratulate us both for being brave enough to do this. While I understand that the "food onboarding" process differs from procedure to procedure and even surgeon to surgeon, I hope youʻll consult with your surgeon or program before you eat solids. My program considers sugar free jello a liquid. Would that suffice? I get it, believe me. I made my husband go to our local Pho restaurant last night and buy me just Pho broth because I couldn't stomach one more sweet drink. Regarding meds, I had to switch a couple that were time release to rapid release so that they could be safely crushed for daily consumption. Did your doctor tell you that all medications and supplements had to be liquid, chewable, or crushed for the first month? Mine did, and while the chewable vitamins and calcium are a treat because I get to chew them, crushing the others and trying to mask their awful taste with a protein shake is disgusting. I'm not getting used to it. Like you, I'm not in any pain and for the last two days, even the gas has been minimal, so I must've finally expelled all that surgery gas. Again, congrats on your big decision and hang in there.

Every surgeon is different, but with my program, I was allowed to start soft proteins on Day 7 after a chat with the nurse to make sure I was getting my hydration in and feeling well. I had great luck with tuna salad made with low-fat mayo, yogurt (I did Oikos Triple Zero, but eventually the artificial sweetener taste turned me off them), oh, and cottage cheese was an absolute delight! I made a poached egg and it went down nicely, so then I tried a deviled eggs (yum!) and finally scrambled with a bit of cheddar. I was also allowed refried beans and ground chicken/turkey (which I made with some taco seasoning). After a week of just those items, I was allowed to slowly add in some veg, fruit, and finally grains. This is much faster than what my surgeon allows for sleeve, by the way. He explained that the healing is different between sleeve and bypass, so I was happy to be able to get back to real foods faster. My only issues with vomiting came from reheating some salmon (way too dry) and another time of eating a bit too fast without properly chewing every single bite and waiting long enough between bites. But otherwise, I'm at 4 weeks as of tomorrow and I'm pretty much able to have any types of food, including raw veg. I have a tiny cucumber, tomato, shredded carrot, and edamame "salad" with most of my lunches. As for pills, I crush or sprinkle all of mine over a couple tablespoons of applesauce. Except for vitamins and calciu, which are chewables and have been fine.

Two questions. One I thought I read somewhere that caffeine was a no no post SADI?? Or was it just carbonation, maybe. After I gained it all back I started back on my Coke Zero and I have to kick that again pre op if sugar alcohol is bad. I gave it up for over two years so I can do it though. Second, , have you eaten out yet? If so, How are you with oils and stuff that they tend to sneak in even the “healthier options” I am a little worried I won’t be able to eat in public ever again.

LOL The food rage is real!! I did 2 weeks of a modified diet pre-op (shakes and a small meal at dinner of protein and veggies), then one week of full shakes only before surgery. And then 2 weeks of liquids only post-op. Needless to say when I was finally allowed food I wanted to cry. LOL I was also a little afraid to eat it! But I did and everything was fine. In retrospect I'm glad I stuck so strictly to my surgeon's guidelines. I healed VERY well and that time on fluids only really taught me a lot about how I react to being hungry and how to manage being hungry. It also helped me understand true hunger from head hunger---they are not the same thing, but man can they feel like the same thing! But for real, I was really cranky at times during those fluid weeks and there were some short tantrums... 🤣