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Bonjour, I understand. Even for many of us who love to cook, meal prep could be a chore. But here is the thing. You won't be able to eat much at all, and you'll need to concentrate on protein first, then vegetables, then if you have any more room in your pouch you can have some carbohydrate. For the first little bit after surgery, you are healing and you will need to eat liquids at first, then purées or soft foods next. My surgeon requires three weeks of liquids and three weeks of soft foods, and I am one week and a little bit into the purées. But once you are done, you can easily either find healthier ready meals (don't know about Ireland, but here in the US some markets sell "meal prep kits" with, say, a bit of chicken or fish or beef or lamb, and a veg and some kind of starchy side), or you can learn to cook. You won't need very much, so you could cook a couple of times and have enough for the whole week. It doesn't have to be beige food all the time. You will introduce foods back into your life a bit at a time and eventually eat a normal diet, just... smaller. I will say that the next time I go to France I may have trouble eating the three courses that are part of the staple meals in a restaurant... even just the entrée would be enough right now, never mind the plat principal or the dessert.

Hang on a tick, I'm stuck on something here. Let me see if I have the facts correct: 1. Your dietitian thinks you're not losing weight fast enough. 2. You have lost 25.5 kg (56 pounds) in 7.5 weeks. 3. Your dietitian refuses to give you guidelines for what or how to eat beyond 60 g of protein and 2 L of water. 4. You're still on shakes at 7.5 weeks out from surgery. I think it is high time you tell the dietitian to shape up or ship out. There are plenty of dietitians out there who don't require their clients to be mind-readers. And who understand how bariatric patients lose weight. I mean, is this dietitian brand new off the wagon from dietitian school? You should be extremely satisfied. Most bariatric patients lose 7-11 kg (15-25 lbs) in the first month and then about 5 kg (11 lbs) a month thereafter, with several stalls that can last a few weeks. Expecting you to AVERAGE 2 kg a week when you have lost 25.5 in 7.5 weeks means that you could be stalled for 3-4 weeks and lose not a single gram and still come out okay. Expecting you to lose 2 kg EVERY SINGLE WEEK is—and I said what I said—daft. If you are stalled, try increasing your calories by about 100 a day for a week to see if that breaks the log jam. Even just 15g of peanut butter or something along those lines could do it. 100 cal a day times 7 days is not enough to make you gain weight.

Sorry it’s been a rough week! Any resolution yet? Yes sleepers can dump however it may not be dumping because dumping tends to resolve quickly not usually days long (unless you keep eating the offending foods) Also Desitin or any diaper rash cream works wonders even for adults.

I'm one month out. I'm not someone who can follow a "meal plan". I don't want to decide at the beginning of the day what I'll be eating at each meal; I need to have a choice or life feels deadly dull. That being said, I will cook something a few times a week (right now it's some sort of ground meat or bean-based dish with a spicy sauce eaten with fat free greek yogurt) and then alternate among the ones I've cooked. I portion them out into 5-6 or more servings in small plastic containers and freeze some so I don't get sick of what I've made or it doesn't go bad too soon. I'll eat them three times a day, breakfast lunch and dinner, except I will occasionally make egg product with cheese for breakfast. I would say at most I spent about 40 minutes a day on all three meals, and many days it's less than 10 minutes. Of course, I live alone and don't have to feed anyone else. I do spend some time looking at recipes, but I'll usually do this when as a form of inspiration, mostly it's things I can't have. Most people's ideas of what a post-surgery patient can have seems very bland to me and I wouldn't eat it, so I don't look at bariatric meal ideas - I go to real cooking sites and figure out how to adapt "normal" recipes. My job involves a lot of traveling so my next task will be to figure out how to eat better on the road.

Tell me about it. I discovered ROSEGAL and can’t stop ordering. Fortunately due to boredom, I came out of retirement and took a part-time job. Unfortunately, due to vacations and call offs I am working more than the three days I signed on for but I am still having a ball. The best part, for the first time in my work life I am not the fattest one there. In fact, I am second to the thinnest and I get wonderful compliments on my attire.

At day 5 I was pretty miserable. At day 7 I tried to check my work emails and had to quit after 30 minutes - the brain fog was real! At two weeks I was ready to work again (desk job) but I needed breaks to clear my head. I'm a month out today and I'm back to mostly full speed now, although eating has it's challenges. You're only 5 days out from MAJOR surgery. Yes, you need a support system, but I had a great support system and I still needed two weeks to be able to work a desk job again. You'll get there!

I am 1 week today post sleeve and hernia repair. Everything was great until Sunday. I had a few sips of a chocolate protein shake and OMG the stomach noise could be heard 3,000 miles away!! And 10 mins later running to the bathroom. So ok I had a dumping episode no biggie. But it has been going on for 4 days! I have literally had 2 jello cups since Sunday and a lot of water and propel. I know TMI but this is so bad I have to sit in the tub for 15 min to be able to walk. My below parts are raw, bleeding, and very angry. I have ruined sheets, bath mats, and 8 pairs of undies. Today I’m loosing my mental ability. I called my doctor and they totally blew me off and said sleeve doesn’t get dumping and you probably have a stomach bug. Ok but could you maybe see me? Nope. I have an appointment at urgent care today but they will probably be like woah this is beyond us! Any suggestions please. Thanks!!!!

Hang in there! I gained and lost the same few pounds a few times in the first few weeks. Look at trends, not just the weight over a few days. Everyone here is right; there are lots of reasons for an increase at one time point - including constipation especially right after surgery and if you're dehydrated, your tissues hold on to more fluid. Just follow the plan and the weight will come off!

Same. Same. 😅 I didn't have a problem of eating slow in weeks three to five but now that I no longer get foamies... Etc. due to healing, I'm getting bad again. Today's lunch took 15 minutes, and I felt that I chewed a lot but obviously, I didn't make the 30 minutes. 😆I will try again with putting the fork down.. Etc. and the tips on this thread.

I was just thinking about this thread. I had my revision to RNY due to gerd in August. Sounds like you are doing really well to me. To me, it's not race, especially if you are eating healthy and exercising, making the shift from poor habits to healthy self-caring eating habits (mentally, emotionally and physically). Generally speaking, to lose 4 lbs. a week you would have to have a calorie deficit of 2000 calories a day. Good job so far.

Honestly, there are so many reasons. - You could be retaining water (are you near time for your menses?) - You could be constipated (I once lost 4 lbs. in 20 minutes...) - Your body could be readjusting its fluid balance (this is what causes the 3-week stall) Just keep following your plan. It WILL come off.

I agree with everything people here are saying. You are losing very quickly, and stalls of 1-3 or more weeks are common. I would be concerned that you're not getting enough protein/nutrients to be walking 10km a day. Also, try ground chicken or turkey instead of pieces of chicken. Dal would be good, and any other beans/chickpeas work well for me. Also try paneer, and low sugar yogurt. These would increase your protein. I'm only a month out and I'm eating about a half cup (about the size of my fist, don't know grams) at times, sometimes less. I eat a lot of beans, ground turkey and chicken with greek yogurt and spices, and cheese. The only thing I've thrown up so far is chicken breast that was pretty dry. Good luck!

Today is five weeks exactly, and I am down 21 lbs. Last week was weird; for some reason, I gained a few lbs, and then within six days, I started dropping an lb a day. My dietician would like me to stay between 80-100g of carbs, which I was reluctant about reading other revision experiences, but I am happy to say that I am still losing at 80g daily. I can eat many things without issue, but only if I eat them in small portions. Pooping is weird... It smells, often loose, and I have had some oily moments (TMI), but it is definitely diet-related. I have noticed that I have gas early in the morning and have to poop first thing, so that is something to keep in mind if you are considering revising to SADI.

Considering you aren't eating much real food (based on the above) and are throwing up, I'm flabbergasted that your dietician would claim that 56 lbs isn't enough. I had my sleeve done on Aug 16, the day before your surgery, and I have lost 31.1 lbs since surgery. And I am heavier than you. And I am pretty darn happy with what I have lost! My math says that you've lost 7 lbs week (56 lbs/8 weeks). I do not understand what this person is talking about. Frankly, I'd have a lot of trouble taking them seriously. Are you certain the dietician wasn't concerning you were losing too fast, rather than too slowly? That would make more sense given your trouble having anything but liquids.

Wow, the goal of my program is for you to get protein from real food and not rely on protein shakes beyond the soft food stage. I only have them now if I want to add to my coffee, or my protein is lower for the day. But it’s probably no more than 1 every other week now. I do like using Devotion Angel Food protein powder for things like Pancakes. I have never actually tried it as a protein shake🤣

I'm only on the second box since surgery. I would say I enjoy them about the same so far though. I typically opt for the carb smart options since they are more in line with what I should be eating. There are definitely recipes that I would have chosen before and cannot now but I still enjoy the 'healthier' options. A meal intended for 2 adults will generally feed myself, my fiancé and my toddler and sometimes still have leftovers depending on the recipe. We get in ruts with cooking so I like having different recipes to change things up and nights where I don't have to plan anything. Hello Fresh lets you skip weeks as often as you want so it's pretty low pressure.

I believe all of us should know the "why" of things WLS. Most people don't want to know why, they just want a list of what to eat when, then get stuck when their life doesn't easily sync with the plan. Knowing "why" let's you understand how to make adjustments that aren't obvious but are still following the plan. Keep it up. I stopped going to (in person) support after the third meeting and left the online portion about the same time. The main topic was how to cheat, and the second was women stuff. Not my cup of tea. I never did protein drinks except when I was binge running and then it was more for the running than my plan. Even on puree I was at my appropriate protein level by about week 3-4. For RNY patients there is always the question of how much protein are we NOT absorbing because of our surgery. So popping in a protein drink can ensure enough is being absorbed. Or, like @catwoman7who have a specific need. My RNY had a small bypass so I don't malabsorb much. My doc was four square against protein drinks, he wanted us learning to eat correctly from the very beginning. My sense, though, is generally they are a meal replacement for the crash diet many surgeon's put their patients on so that they will lose weight faster. Keep on thinking and learning. Tek

Hello, I just had full bypass on October 6th. I am a week post op and feeling very good, just very hungry at times. I am on clear liquids for 1 more week. I have moments where I'm so hungry my stomach growls. I am pushing through. I wish you all success and hope everyone is well!

4 lbs a week after the first month is pretty extreme, unless you're the size of someone on "My 600 lb Life". Does this dietitian have any experience with bariatric patients? Doesn't sound like it. most "normal" WLS patients lose about 15-25 lbs the first month after surgery, and then it slows down to about 10 lbs (give or take) a month for the next several months - and then it drops even further. Of course you will find people who lose more or less than that, but they're outliers. So you are fine - that dietitian is very misinformed.

no - most people are able to get off them once they can meet all/most of their protein requirements via food. So after the first few weeks or months, most people are able to get off them. I still drink them at 6.5 years out because we found out early on that I malabsorb protein (and fortunately, I'm one of those weirdos who actually LIKES protein shakes), but I'm an anomaly.

Thanks for your support. Yes, I've lost 56lbs over the last 7.5 weeks. I was happy until the dietitian mentioned otherwise. :(. I don't really have much in terms of guidelines on volume of food etc., ,other than consuming 60g of protein via shakes and about 1.5-2 ltrs of water. Would you be able to help with any guuidelines on how much food etc I should be consuming. another problem is that I'm mostly taking liquids since I'm unable to hold down eggs, chicken etc and throw up the same frequently. I'm able to tolerate lentils and vegetables curries so managing with but feeling I'm all over the place due to lack of guidance.

Your surgery weight was higher than mine and you had your surgery almost a week later, yet your current weight is lower than mine! If it helps, you're making more progress than me, and my surgeon's office is happy with where I am. It's crazy how different expectations are; my nutritionist said that anything over 8 lbs a month is on track. Stalls are normal along the way and I think it's really difficult to expect to lose 4 pounds a week every single week. Great work so far!

I am a person who always wants to know the "why" behind a rule (unfortunately!). So, as I've slowly been progressing through my surgeon's plan (still on pureeds for two more weeks, and I'm 7 weeks out), I've started wondering if we will always have to drink protein shakes. I hate them, they taste gross, and the ingredients list is like 5 paragraphs long full of things I can't even say - besides that, they're full of carbs and often high calorie. And if we do have to always drink them, why? Why can't we meet our protein goals through eating real food? For example, an egg and a morningstar breakfast sausage patty is 16 grams of protein and 150 calories. The protein shake I drink is almost 300 calories (bariatric advantage with PB2 over a plant based milk). Also, bone broth, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, tuna are all high protein, low calorie options that taste way better than protein shakes. If a person is able to meet protein goals and still stay around 600 calories a day during weight loss phase, why the shakes? (I don't know if that's feasible, I haven't tried it - I am still drinking the nasty protein). So, I posted the question to the online support group my surgeon keeps on Facebook. I asked if a person can meet their daily protein goal through real food, are protein shakes still required. Man! You would have thought I asked if I could eat a full meat lovers pizza from Papa John's! People launched on me, accused me of eating too much food, told me if I wanted to lose weight and maintain it I HAD to drink protein shakes for life. Then the surgeon came on and publicly shamed me, said I was way off track and wasn't following the plan. What bomb did I set off??? And nobody ever explained WHY the shakes are required??? The previous time before this when I asked a question, almost the same thing happened. I asked if I could drink the Unjury ready made shakes instead of the powder because they taste so much better. People berated me, and told me the ready made shakes were not good for me. Then the surgeon chimed in and said the ready made were not as good because they are protein caseinate instead of whey isolate. Um, the packaging clearly says the Unjury brand is whey protein isolate. So now why are they bad for me? The next day, my surgeon posted a long post about people having this surgery and not taking it seriously. I can't help but think it was in response to my question about protein shakes. I didn't even have Facebook, I deleted it in 2016 when things started to get so nasty online. I only started using it again to join my surgeon's group. I cancelled following the page. I was really ticked off at the responses. I'm so angry I don't even want to continue with my surgeon's office. AND, by the way, I am not way off track, I've lost 41 lbs. in these last 7 weeks, and I'm really happy with that. Started at 235, now 194 (and have been losing about 1 lb a day for the last few days). I know I'm being a baby, I think I just needed to vent. I do like my surgeon when we meet one on one for appointments. Facebook is evil. Sent from my SM-N976V using BariatricPal mobile app

Caffeine is an appetite suppressant, but I think for me, it's more that the warm liquid fills me up, because I used to hate eating soups for this reason - I would feel all bloated and gross. The earl grey tea was my first caffeine in 6 weeks, so that may have been more of a suppressant that it would normally be. I had to be off caffeine for 2 weeks before and 4 weeks after, and technically that was one day early, but I was desperate and I really like earl grey. Today is my first time having caffeinated coffee, but I only like iced coffee. I will see if the caffeine in the iced coffee keeps me full. Interestingly, I have no other effects from caffeine - I can have caffeine right before bed and it doesn't prevent me from sleeping, and it doesn't wake me up particularly. I didn't get any headaches when I stopped the caffeine. Oh, I guess it does make me poop.

Have I misunderstood? You've lost 56lb in about two months or just a little under that? I think what you've lost is great. Some professionals or those who deem themselves to be seem to set some unrealistic expectations. Were you happy with your weight loss up to the point in time your dietician told you otherwise? 10kms a day is quite a lot. I assume you are followng your post op guidelines for calories, volumes of food, types of food etc? Protein intake? Liquid intake? And hopefully consuming sufficient to sustain 10kms a day. If so and your are averaging a reasonable weight loss you are doing great. Editied to add: You mention you stopped losing weight? How long since you've lost some weight on the scale? Stalls are not uncommon, most of everyone who has WLS has a stall or more than one, even in the first few weeks.