Search the Community

Same, I started purée the day after surgery while at the hospital. But it consisted of yogurt and applesauce. Aside from the protein shakes and liquids of course. Second week I asked the nurse if I could have puréed beans and she said yes but eat very slowly to see if it’s too much for my belly.

I am also on a work trip this week. I haven't weighed but also eating salty and not drinking as much. Here's to getting back on track.

It varies if you read enough of these posts. One lady had 12hours fasting. Lots have1 or 2 weeks. Mine is 3 weeks of 3 pints of milk, two veg meals and 2 pieces of fruit . I can also have coffee. One person, I read had 4 weeks of slim fast only. Every doctor has their own 'recipe' Please let me know how you get on

I also haven't had a headache since I stopped Birth control pills, which is weird, since I went on them in part to control the terrible migraines I would get when I go my period. Of course, I haven't had my period in the 12 weeks since I stopped them (I used to take them continuous cycling so I haven't had my period in over a decade, no surprise that my period is a bit messed up now!).

I am going on vacation in a week and am really worried about that too. I know I will be able to get exercise but the food choices worry me a little eating out of restaurants and keeping hydrated for fear of not being a bathroom available when needed.

I just came back from my first work trip since surgery and I'm up 1.4 lbs. I'm disappointed but I think it's dehydration and constipation (I brought miralax packets with me but found I was always with people and didn't feel comfortable using them, plus I was really busy and had a hard time drinking enough). I also ate saltier food than normal. I hope I lose the weight quickly and go back to losing because I have a lot of travel coming up. I'm on the road constantly for the next 6 weeks or so.

I guess I am just alittle confused with the beginnings of pursuing a gastric sleeve..... For the past 2 yrs or so I have had my PCP make referrals on my behalf for weight loss management whether I wanted it or not. I went for a colonoscopy and only saw that Dr one time which was the day of my colonoscopy. Next thing I know after the colonoscopy Im getting phone messages from the weight loss management section of the hospital telling me I have several referrals and to contact them. To say I was pissed is mild lol. I guess I wanted to make the move myself and not be thrust into it. Of course Im way over weight, of course my health is suffering not to mention my mobility is next to none. Im just a procrastinator. I have been on several weight loss journeys within that 2 yr period. I did have a medically supervised diet for 5 months that I did. I lost weight but quickly started gaining it back after I fell last Christmas and injured my knee. Fast forward to July of this year and I had a gall bladder attack and made a trip to the local ER and yep you guessed it....by Monday morning I had another weight management referral......blah lol plus a referral to a general surgeon regarding the gall bladder. This lady was a real trooper lol she got to hear me complaining about all these referrals and my weight loss struggles; ironically the more I talked about it with her the more infuriated I got for getting all these referrals for a gastric bypass that I didnt want. Luckily I suppose she listened so Im going for a gastric sleeve appointment next week Thursday. She told me she wouldnt require a supervised diet and that I could just move on to the surgery itself. I guess Ill find out next week if she remembers telling me that or not. As far as I am aware I am going for a preop educational appt but from what Ive read in here there seems to be alot more to it. I see ppl say their surgery dates are in the far future and not anything soon. What are some of the timelines any of you are experiencing? I think I may have a rude awakening come next week Thursday lol

Unfortunately the feeling of failing is very common. A lot of it comes from poor information from your surgeon & your team. I don’t understand why they don’t prepare people better on what to expect. It would greatly reduce a lot of the anxiety people experience after surgery. Makes me angry. So sorry your surgeon & team didn’t private you & don’t seem to be on your side through this. Ok, first. The heady amounts of weight you lose at the beginning doesn’t continue. The rate at which you lose will reduce as you get closer to goal & are eating more. Losing about 1-2lbs a week is pretty average by months 3 or 4. Some my lose more, others less. You will lose at your rate. Many factors affect the rate (age, starting weight, previous weight loss history, gender, etc.). Stalls (plateaus) happen. Think of them as your body taking a break to come to terms with the stress of the diet & weight loss. You may stall from 1-3 weeks at a time. Every pound you lose is a win. Sorry but eating one meal a day is ridiculous. How are you able to consume 60g of protein plus a variety of other nutrient sources in one meal? It’s physically impossible for you! No wonder you’re feeling hungry. You are hungry!!! Do you have a dietician/nutritionalist? Once eating solid foods the goal should be introducing healthy eating habits (when you eat, what you eat, why you eat) which is why we’re advised to eat 3 meals a day & some (like me) are encouraged to add snacks as we progress to ensure protein & other nutrient goals are being met. Your portion sizes will increase as you progress too. Eat slowly. Don’t be afraid to graze on a meal for 30+ minutes if necessary. It takes time for the message you’re full to get through. I still try to eat only until I’ve had enough. (Do I really need the next bite or just want it?) Keep protein the biggest part of any meal or snack & eat it first if possible. Having a small amount of whole or multi grain carbs is ok - I was allowed to eat rolled oats from the purée stage. I even could have any fruit from around months 3/4. I went to my dietician every two weeks but honestly, I worked most of my eating plan out myself - she just confirmed I was making sensible choices & suggested some alternatives. You have to work out a way of eating that works for you & while you’re losing is the perfect time to begin. Do lots of reading (avoid the fad stuff - they’re never sustainable), reflect on your eating habits (trigger foods, foods you crave, what drives you to eat, weight gain/loss history, etc.) & how your lifestyle may impact your eating plan in the future (you have to be able to maintain a weight you’re happy & healthy at while still being able enjoy your life). A too restrictive diet will fail because it will limit you enjoying your life. You will get where you want to be. Good luck.

I was the same, i am now 13 weeks out i think, i try to try different foods now and i am surprised by how easy some are to eat and disappointedby others.

Hello yes I am meeting protein and liquid goals. I do think that exercising slows down the weight loss, but a complete stall for weeks is discouraging. I decided to stay off the scale for a while. I do notice changes in my body even if the scale isn't moving so that is good! I am going to add protein on the days I exercise. Thanks for the response

Hi My surgery date is Nov 1 with Dr Mark Vierra In Monterey Ca. I just found out last week. I only have to do the liquid diet for a week, is that normal?

Hi - I'm scheduled for November 1st. I'm excited and very nervous at the same time. I started my 2 week liquid diet on the 18th and I'm sticking to it without too much struggle - so far. This is my first time on the forum and it's been really encouraging. Thanks

I can’t respond to anyone individually on here 😡 Thank you all so much for the kind words. It has helped immensely. I am eating 1-2 oz a meal, so probably getting about 4 oz a day of food total. I am going to talk to the nutritionist and get a counselor that specializes in WLS. I definitely am frustrated with my surgeon and need more support. I basically fasted for a month, but it didn’t feel doable right not, so I think I’ll ignore that advice too. I had never heard anyone else saying they should eat once until that comment above. I have a counselor, but I need a new one. So I’m going to have to get more Swiss about my supports. I may have pushed too hard as well. I had a lot of complications with the surgery. I got an infected incision and had a lot of issues with dizziness and weakness for the first 4 weeks after surgery. I started working out at about 2 months. Thank you all so much for the support. I feel much better 🤗🤗🤗

That happens to me too sometimes. I pop the meds and it goes away pretty quickly. I’m probably going to have to refill - just to keep on hand just in case. Happens out of nowhere. Not often. Maybe once every few weeks.

Stalls are normal. Keep sticking with the program. Do get some bariatric cookbooks so that you can learn to cook and eat differently than pre-surgery.

I am 4.5 weeks post-op VSG. Recovery is going well and I'm progressing through my plan's stages with minimal difficulty. I'm now in "full" soft foods and getting a little more variety. Prior to today, I have been using small containers to portion out my food, eyeballing it based on the size of the container (e.g. a 4oz container, roughly 3/4 full gets logged as 3oz, and so on). I've been averaging about 3oz per meal comfortably, sometimes a bite more, sometimes a bite less. Given that my diet is a little more varied and I'm really focusing on getting as much protein from "real" foods as possible, I decided to start weighing my portions to be more accurate. For lunch today, I weighed out 2.5oz of finely shredded rotisserie chicken and 30g of Alouette soft cheese. It *appeared* to be far more food than what I've been able to eat and I was a little shocked - lo and behold I have probably 1/4 of it left that I will not eat. I would have thought by weight the portion would have been LESS?! Doing some research, opinions on measuring by volume vs. weight are pretty varied, and my own program does not dictate one as better/more accurate than the other, just that we should measure & track. As a long time MFP user and lifelong dieter, weighing food is not new to me, and I certainly don't mind doing it. But I'm just so confused by the perceived disparity of a 2.5oz by weight portion vs. a 3oz by volume portion! TL;DR: I don't know how to portion food. HAAAALP. Do you weigh or measure? In your experience which is more accurate? Which is more helpful in portion control/tracking?

So I've been feeling absolutely fantastic... plenty of energy, lots of exercise, weight loss kicked off again after the Dread Third-Week Stall... ...until today, when suddenly I'm just nauseated by everything. Finished half my usual morning shake... bleh. Waited a while to finish the rest... bleh. Ate some known-good stuff (deli turkey)... bleh. Sigh. Hopefully this is short-lived. And fortunately I still have a few pills of ondansetron left if it gets unbearable.

Update: My surgeon asked for an abdominal CT (I assume to see what mess, if any, my prior WLS surgeries caused), which has been completed. Because my last two EKGs had some irregularities and because I have a pacemaker, he also wanted a cardiology evaluation. The cardiologies wants me to have a chemical stress test and an updated echocardiogram. Office visited completed, and I have to go to the hospital 90 miles away for the tests, perhaps in the next week or so. I am very happy with how thorough the surgeon and cardiologist are being, in stark contrast with my prior WLS surgeons. If the cardiologist approves the surgery, the paperwork will go to Medicare. When Medicare approves the revision (apparently a slam-dunk with my comorbidities), I will finally get a surgery date. I've been stalled, going up and down the same 2-4 lbs for since early September, reinforcing why I need this surgery. Also, I finally got a call-back from the local psychologist-dietitian on whose waiting list I've been on since July. I'll hopefully get an appointment shortly. I did have an evaluation by the clinic's psychiatrist and a tele-visit consultation with another psychologist (who didn't think I needed therapy), but this one is local and I hope can help me develop coping strategies when the cravings appear. They have been an issue for the past few months and will be again after the surgery honeymoon period ends. I know from experience that I am going to need help to avoid regaining.

I'm horrified that the surgeon is telling you one meal a day. You mention that you manage 1-2 oz of food a day. There is no way that is enough especially if you are also exercising! Are you also drinking protein shakes? In contrast, I just had my 2 month check in, and my nutritionist is telling me to increase my calories especially because I want to restart with my trainer this week. She also wants me to start weaning off the shakes (though not necessarily the protein powder). I already eat 3-4 times a day (small meals) plus a protein shake, and to make the new calorie goal I'm going to have to add another snack and try to increase calorie count at each meal. If his practice doesn't have a nutritionist, perhaps you can see about switching to a new practice that does and using one of their nutritionists? You want someone who is experienced with bariatric patients and not all nutritionists are. Also, depending on your state there may or may not be licensing for nutritionists, so make sure they are credentialed.

I am 4 months out and just had an appointment with the surgeon last week. He suggested eating one meal a day in order to keep my blood sugar from spiking in my body. He stated that my body has enough stored fat and if I follow Intermittent Fasting/OMAD I will lose weight faster. This is in complete opposition to the nutritionists that work in his own office. If I eat just one meal a day at this point there is NO WAY I'd be able to meet my protein goals and my calorie intake would be miniscule. So, I am actually going to ignore my surgeons suggestion on this. I am going to keep eating according to the nutritionists well thought out plan and lose the weight when I lose the weight. Stick to what your comfortable with.... remember, losing weight is not a race.

I have not been to Italy since pre-surgery, but I was just at Walt Disney World for two weeks, and I was 4 months out from surgery. I focused on my protein, and I did have carbs, but it was not a lot at one time because I was full from the protein. I passed on bread, I attempted to eat some Naan, but I probably only ate 2-3 bites, and that was more than enough. One breakfast was Stuffed French Toast with Turkey Sausage ... I ate the Turkey Sausage, and the cream cheese, apple bits in the french toast. It was decimated when I was done. I haven't really introduced bread to my regular diet (it was not allowed the first 3 months on my program). For Pizza - focus on the toppings Although Pizza in Italy is certainly different than America. I only eat Poultry, so I have not had steak. But I will say, any food I did try while on vacation, I fortunately had no issues with (including the sweet stuff). I just couldn't eat much of it. ..and don't be scared of the scale, I lost no weight while on vacation, then dropped 5.2 lbs the week after I returned.

Hi Bluesupef04, I am sorry that you are frustrated and feel like you are failing. Congratulations on your weight loss, it sounds like you lost around 70 pounds, that's awesome. You are absolutely not failing. I am also almost 3 months out. The weight seems to come off fast on pre op diet and the first month after the surgery. From what I understand average loss can be about 10 pounds a month for the first few months after surgery. Some lose more & some less. Stalls are also common for many WLS patients. I am sorry that you feel like your doctor isn't being helpful. I was surprised to read that he suggested eating once a day. Have you also been working with a nutritionist? You may want to meet with one to help you see if there is anything you can do with your food plan to help. I wish you luck moving forward & hope you achieve your weight loss goals.

my hunger returned at five months out, which definitely made things more challenging, but I managed to stick to my plan and kept losing until I was 20 months out. So no - your loss hasn't necessarily stopped. It does slow down quite a lot after the first few months, though - and my stalls became more frequently and lasted longer. Every time I'd think "well, this is it", but then it'd eventually start up again...

Hi everyone, I need some support and advice because I feel like I am failing so bad right now and I am so frustrated. I am almost three months post op. I lost 20lbs On my own before surgery. My surgeon was very strict and I only could have proteins shakes and water. I hated the protein shakes and ended up just having water a lot of the time. Especially after surgery, with a liquid diet I had mostly water. My surgeon wasn’t concerned. However, right after my surgery I lost a lot of weight really fast. The first month I lost about 30 pounds. It started slowing down the second month when I started eating especially. Second month I lost about 14 pounds. However about halfway through the month I started slowing down and hit plateaus. In the third month I have lost only 5 pounds. Is this normal? I went from 320 and am now at 250 or so. I have lost inches in the last months so I know SOMETHING is happening. But I feel like a failure and my surgeon absolutely is no help. I am realizing I haven’t got any if the support I need from him. He wants me to eat once a day, and I have never been able to do that aside from maybe day one of eating. My body is hungrier than that. It has gone from two a day total to two or three times a day with a snack. This seems on par with everything I’ve read but my surgeons words and requirements are really triggering my sense of failure. Paired with my extreme stalls the shame and guilt is intense. I work out 2-3 times a week pretty intensely and know m I’m building muscle. I also was struggling to drink all my water until last week. My foods consist of mostly cheese, meats, and veggies. I had crackers when I was sick the second month as well as a food two other times with minimal amounts of flour. I believe I am in ketosis all of the time and have not gotten out of it. I can eat 1-1.9 oz a day. Sometimes I eat until I’m full, but I’ve only had 3 or so times I’ve ate until I was past full. I’m definitely high anxiety on this and I know that is part of the issue. Anxiety causes stress which can hold weight but also make me want to eat more. Any thoughts?

I was sleeved on 5/24/21 and have lost 70 lbs. I still have at least 70 more to lose. The past two weeks I haven’t lost anything and my appetite has been ferocious! I’m meeting my protein goals of 80+grams, but find myself creeping up toward 1200+ calories a day, even when my surgeon and nutritionist recommended 800-1000. I’m not feeling as much restriction and find myself getting hungrier, especially as the day progresses and in the evening. I’m terrified that my body had met its “set point” or my sleeve has stopped working or stretched out. What gives? Please help this newbie out and tell me it will get better!