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Oh yes. Food for weeks. I still cook more than I need but I do it on purpose now because I love having leftovers. Simply freeze the leftovers/excess for easy meals on another day. Just bag it up in appropriate serving sizes. (I love zip lock bags.) My freezer is filled with single serves of soups, bolognese, savoury mince, steak, chops, savoury egg muffins, … chicken, beef, lamb & pork. Don’t feel like cooking? Just defrost a meal & all I have to cook or prep are vegetables or salad if needed. Bonus you only have to cook dinner from scratch a couple of times a week. Found it very useful for work lunches too. Popped one of my frozen meals in my bag & reheated it at work. Easy.

The food police. That’s cute. I have to admit when you said you used to be a chef I reluctantly opened the recipe thinking it was going to be really hard but that doesn’t look too difficult. I am adding the ingredients to my Amazon and Walmart carts now. Thanks!!

I am three years post sleeve contemplating revision surgery and I am trying not to do food funerals this time. I still don’t have a surgery date though so let’s see how I feel as I count down the days. . I am thinking I am going to have the SADI so I really May have stuff I can never tolerate Again. Now I’m thinking…maybe just one last meal, lol. But if you are like me and carbs make you crave carbs maybe stop these a few days before your scheduled to start the pre op. Otherwise the preop will seen that much harder. Just FYI also, With the sleeve I was able to tolerate anything post surgery and I’ve heard the same from a lot of people who have had bypass (although they can sometimes only have very small amounts of certain things).

Yes! Happy to share! It's this one: https://www.wholesomeyum.com/keto-banana-muffins-recipe/ I doubled the banana flavoring emulsion (I got mine from Amazon) and I added vanilla. None of the box mixes were low carb enough for me and I used to be a chef so I have a bias towards homemade things. 😂 I can empathize with the carb cravings. When I eat carbs I crave them intensely for days afterwards. There are a lot of people who make judgments about those of us who use artificial sweeteners, and though I prefer the real thing, I simply cannot have it. My body HATES carbs, it just doesn't know what to do with them and whether it's a piece of cake or a bagel, it will bloat me and I'll want 3 times as much the next meal. It is just not worth it. And now with the surgery and my designer insides, it isn't worth the gas and such either... The only exception I seem to be able to make is a small amount of very dark chocolate. I think the reason it doesn't cause the carb cravings is because my craving for the minerals in it is stronger. LOL And even with that I can't have it two days in a row without cravings kicking in stronger... I think it is perfectly reasonable to ask those close to you to support you with limitations around what they offer you. I asked the same thing of those close to me and they were happy to do so because it gave them a tangible way to help me with my goal. We don't gain weight in isolation. Food is a social thing. We ask our social circle for support around other goals like going to school or raising our children, we should be able to ask for support with this too. It increases our chances of success!! The head game will do you in every time. Having people close to you wise to that helps tremendously in my experience... As long as they don't turn into food police. 😂

I followed a recipe to make soup tonight. It came from a bariatric cookbook so I wasn't really thinking about quantity being an issue. At least not until I was done and went to dish out a serving. This recipe said it made 8 cups of soup. I was able to eat 1/4 cup. At the current rate, that means I will be eating this soup until the sun explodes. Did anyone else struggle with cooking early on? It feels like such a waste of time to make a single, tiny serving, and yet, between difficulties eating reheated/dried out food and being overwhelmed by accidentally making 32 servings of soup, I really wish food would just magically appear on tiny plates in my kitchen.

Oh and I forgot! Regarding your original sleeve: I know you'll be aware that after my sleeve I had reported being able to eat bigger volumes than I had expected. This was a constant throughout all my food stages. Given my eventual regain do you think there might be a merit to reducing the volume of my sleeve when you do the SADI?

The vomiting has probably caused some swelling. You'll probably need to baby your tummy with very easy to digest foods in very small quantities for a few days. And I wouldn't try any red meat for quite some time. Are you already allowed to have that? It's very hard to digest. My program says 3 months before beef, pork, and lamb.

Thank you both. Spinoza thank you I know with my mental health issues that my journey doesn’t look exactly like everyone’s here but some version of what happened to me could happen to everyone I hope my story helps someone. I know that so many people here have helped me along the way. I wish I wouldn’t have gotten so embarrassed and stopped posting last time. Things may be different now. But, I put my story out there and from now on I am looking forward. BlondPatriotinCDA That’s what I try to tell my husband. He has always been very fit and he tries to empathize but he just doesn’t understand and sometimes he says all the wrong things. Recently He said I don’t get it, you quit smoking why is this so difficult for you. I said because I don’t have to smoke three puffs a day to survive and not smoke anymore than that. I know if I had one cigarette I would be a smoker again. In fact i did and I was until I quit the second time and now I know I can’t have just one. But, I do think knowledge is power and I will know when I do go off plan again which I inevitably will. I will know that give it a few days and my body will stop screaming at me that it’s starving because that’s what it takes for me. I eat carbs and my body craves them for a few days afterwards then the cravings are a lot less. Then I’m good until the next holiday or dining out temptation or if I’m really stressed I eat off plan. Those are my triggers. I’m hoping that information will make it easier for me to get back on track next time. This time I already told all my loved ones to please try not to offer me food that is not a good choice for me and I am eating low carb already. I also just declined a lunch invitation with my craft group being honest that I’m too tempted to eat bad when dining out. Maybe once I get back on track I said but for now I need to stay focused (to a group of mostly really skinny women who probably totally don’t get it but they didn’t say anything at least). Anyways. Yes. My plan is to keep chatting here with people Who actually get it and to try to find that therapist and pay out of pocket as Spinoza suggested because this is it. It is not like they usually revise a third time and even if they did the complications and risks are scary enough the second time around. This is my do over and I have to do it right this time.

Okay this is long and boring at parts but here it goes. I am 3 years post sleeve and I have gained all my weight back . First of all I was on the smaller side to have the sleeve but I do still have all the same struggles and if I had waited until I was older it was just a matter of time until I was a higher bmi having the surgery. The fact that I have lost and then gained it all plus some within less than years is probably proof of that. Anyways, with the sleeve I did lose a big chunk of weight. I went from 235 to 168 which I could not have done with regular diet. But, i was always able to eat a little more than I should at every given stage and everything was easy for me. From day one I had no gas pain and water was easy to get down, then fluids and protein which were easy to keep down, I had no food intolerances and advancing through each stage. I was living my best life watching the pounds fall off but I was alway able to eat just a little more than everyone else at the same stage. Well, while the hunger hormone was gone and I was focused I was able to eat exactly what I SHOULD be eating and I measured my portions to the Amount I should be eating and I was satisfied. So lost most of the weight the dr suggested I would. i held that weight for a few months but then the hunger started creeping back and between the hunger and the extra room in the pouch I started gaining in spite of still making healthy food choices (my food was fine but my portions were too large and too frequent). Well, even though I knew I was losing control my friends and family continued to look at me as doing great..I was still on the road to getting to where I needed ti be in their eyes. I was ashamed. I was failing yet They kept complimenting me and offering me food. They were saying things like your doing so good, you can have one slice or pizza or one brownie. It won’t kill you. It’s okay that you’ve gained a couple pounds I’ve gained a couple it’s Christmas. You can lose that. Well I have since learned that no I cannot just have one of anything to do with carbs or I crave them for a week but I didn’t know that back then Anyways, was still going to my surgeon asking for help but I have bipolar disorder and the meds I take for it limit what other meds I can take so I cannot take many of the weight loss meds they had to offer. And the one I can take worked wonderfully during the day but when it wore off I ate all night Fast forward a few months and I stepped on the scale and I was back over 200. That sucked but I wasn’t giving up. went back to my surgeon asking about revision to bypass. I have heartburn gerd whatever you call it and clearly the sleeve wasn’t working so I wanted to know my options. Well let’s go back. I knew I didn’t want to have surgery if I was going to just repeat the yo-yo that had just happened so I decided I wanted two opinions this time. Well the second opinion dr had a cancellation so I seen him first. He was on board. He was going to bypass a shorter amount of bowel so i had less absorption issues and my meds Would work fine he said which seemed to be his concern even though it wasn’t really my question. I just needed my dr to say that it shouldn't be a repeat of last time and I was going forward. Well even though the bypass was an option he presented to me to start he said he wouldn’t do a bypass for me. He thought it would be a bad call with my mental health issues. This was confusing to say the least because I have one dr saying it’s fine and another dr I really respect saying it’s not and I started this thinking bypass was always an okay option in terms of mental health but worried the surgery just wouldn’t work for me. I am of course concerned about my mental health so took some time to think about it. I tried for a while to find a bariatric therapiest but none near me are taking any new patients. I even asked the surgeon and he said he would look into it but be never did. Anyways I called around for the better part of two days. They all just do the evaluations now for surgery. I have had every hormone test and lab they have that could possibly be the problem. I changed all my meds in case they were the issue. I tried everything myself and my doctors could think of but I kept gaining. When I revisited the idea of surgery I was scared. Anything that was going to upset my mental health again just isn’t an option I decided. I already know what life without my medication is like and I do not want to go back there. I continued to gain. I got back up to 245 and I am miserable. I am so depressed when I look at what I have let happen to myself. I had a chance and I blew it. I am disgusted when I look in the mirror. I decided that the weight is causing me to be more depressed so I needed to get some real answers. I went back to my surgeon. Not to ask him to do the surgery but exactly why he thought it was a bad idea. The plan was to take that info and talk to the other surgeon to make sure he had considered that and see why he wasn’t worried about it. Well, surprise…my surgeon is on board now with doing a revision for me. When I asked why he said no before he said something about a nite in my chart that said I wasn’t complaint with my meds back them and he didn’t know I have a psychiatrist and psychologist and take my meds but now he is comfortable doing surgery. So, frustrated I had to wait until I gained almost 50 more pounds to get here but excited he is willing to do it I am researching the other surgery he thinks will be a better fit for me called the SADI. At the same time I am still not buying the note in my chart thing. Cause that was never true. I guess the important takeaway for those of you here that are just starting out is even if you do regain don’t lose touch with your team and don’t give up. I feel like my dr wavering in whether he would do the surgery didn’t help but I could have asked more questions sooner and I wouldn’t have so much to lose this time. Plus, hopefully you guys can take the weight loss meds and won’t be facing a second surgery.

I talked to the nurse the other day about some vomiting issues I had been experiencing, about 5 times in total over the past 2 weeks. While the first time was almost certainly due to overcooked/dry food, there was concern over the other times, especially a few days ago when I was sick twice in a day with quite a bit of pain and multiple times of fairly aggressive vomiting. I had a longer, more complicated surgery than usual (6 hours) due to some scarring and issues with my intestine, so my doctor decided I should go back to the liquid phase until I see him on April 2. Not gonna lie, 11 days of protein shakes and yogurt is not what I was hoping for. I thought they would say just avoid the foods that were making me sick. But I guess the doctor feels my systems need more time to heal. I can have some simple creamed soups, though, and plan to supplement those with unflavored protein because I can't stand the shakes and protein waters. At least I'm having no issues with hydration.

Honestly, I would demand an explanation for why their program is so different than almost every established program out there and why the discharge papers contradict her instructions. Are you getting protein with the clear fluids? Also, I would want them to outline clearly what your food intake goals are going to be for the next several weeks. I've seen 2 Tbsp as a guideline on solid foods before for the first few months, but never limited to once a day. That's usually per meal, with 3-6 meals per day.

I agree it seems absolutely absurd to me. I feel very frustrated and almost alone in this (I know I’m not) but it’s just such a huge change. Some of the hospital paperwork I got at discharge said I should be eating 1/4-1/2 cup portions which I absolutely cannot get down but when I talked to her today she had said that I need to be eating 2 tablespoons a day and that’s it of the soft foods like plain Greek yogurt or applesauce or protein pudding. That’s about what I can stomach anyways but I did eat two of the protein pudding cups yesterday which were about 2.5 total for both. I just feel like I’m already failing. I am going to go back to the basics, and if I don’t go to he bathroom by tomorrow afternoon I’m going to try an enema.

That's so frustrating. I totally get that you don't want to jeopardise your upcoming procedure. You've been 'passed' to all intents and purposes. Could you view that process as a means to an end but view a therapist completely outside the process as just for you? Even if you had to pay a bit it might be worth it in the end. I have seen so many people here having to work on their underlying relationship with food in order to get where they want to be. I KNOW you will know all of this already. There's a big difference between having a disordered relationship with food and having a diagnosable eating disorder I think xxx Lots of us have become obese because of the former and lots the latter. I hope you can get where you need to be with your surgery 💚

I have a therapist that I speak to refularly but no she doesn’t specialize in food. Unfortunately there are not any therapists around here that specialize in food taking on new patients. I even asked the surgeons and they only know the ones they refer you to for evaluation to be cleared for surgery (who apparently want to make the quick $300 or whatever it was and move on because they don’t accept new patients). I know that it could be a huge help for me but I hate to bring it up again knowing he won’t have an answer anyways. I don’t want him to think I’m not fit for surgery if that’s my only option. I don’t have any eating disorders. I don’t binge or anything but I do eat when I’m upset. I am not sure to what degree that is normal or can be helped but I would love to try. I just can’t find anyone and I’ve asked anyone and everyone I can think of. Basically my drs team does not hace any info on the surgery yet. I think I may be one of his first patients with this particular procedure. He is a very well know and excellent surgeon but he only offered sleeve and bypass before as far as I know. Anyways so far I have read from many different sites that you can’t have grains, probably won’t be able to tolorate dairy, can have a small amount of fat, must eat a lot of protein of course but some people can’t tolorate beans and keep carbs low so limit the amount of fruit and what I consider to be the edible vegetables. Basically that leaves me eating meat all the time, with maybe a little avacado and nothing else, I mean in terms of the options that I actually like, am I right? I mean at least with the sleeve I could eat eggs and beans and fruit and veggies I liked. I’m talking about even in maintenance I don’t think people who get SADI can have these things. Otherwise it causes the bathroom side effects. im really hoping that I’m wrong. There is such a little Amount of very confusing information about this surgery out there and I do intend to ask the dr and the dietician. In fact I called and left a message for her earlier today wanting to know what she knows about this procedure and whether I should schedule with her to learn about diet in the long term? She didn’t call back yet. Do you know that there isn’t even a cookbook for this procedure yet. At least that I could find. I’m not getting this much of my anatomy altered and facing this type of risks without knowing my long term diet is going to be.

My friend are you speaking to a therapist with relevant expertise? I know you are currently choosing your revision surgery and that's a huge decision. Please in the midst of that don't lose sight of your relationship with food and how you lost and regained weight in the past. We've all been there MANY times. Feel free to ignore me if you have all of this under control. You have done so well before and I know you can do again xxx xxx

@Spinoza I'm actually pre-op and just starting out with a nutritionist who wants me to start incorporating more veggies into my diet as I pretty much ate high carb/fat foods since Covid started. I've never been much into the less starchy veggies ever, but have definitely been failing for the last few years so I'm really trying to do my best with this journey and make the most out of it. I appreciate everyone's input and kindness, this was my 1st post and a little nervewracking to put myself out there!

I spoke to my doctor yesterday about this, after my magnesium was checked and an EKG she said she thinks its not more blood needing to be used for digestion, otherwise you would have always felt the increase in heart beats especially so with a larger stomach having needed more blood and it beginning with onset after surgery. She's recommending a week long heart monitor, but thinks its directly related to bariatric surgery. She stated it could be due to the change in digestive tract possibly changing the stomachs location relative to the vagus nerves location coming into direct contact, but she's not positive hence the heart monitor. Let and me know if you're interested in the results and final DX. She did say she's never heard of a faster heart rate after eating unless a food sensitivity/allergy has started up after bariatric surgery.

I saw the term, momentary "buyers remorse" on someone's thread the other day in reference to having bariatric surgery and last night I understood when I had a fatigue and anxiety melt down. I went back to school at age 48, once the majority of my kids were gone and I could spare the time. I take a full time course load, so my house gets deep cleaned now only during school breaks. This spring break I didn't expect to get much house and yard work accomplished, as I expected to be recovering from my sleeve surgery. But here I am, nine days after surgery and in the last days of spring break and I'm feeling great. My doc cleared me to do any physical activity that didn't hurt and I seem to have full energy, so I decided to go to work yesterday on a kitchen deep clean. From about 8 am until 11 pm (with breaks and liquid meals all day), I cleaned the fridge and pantry, scrubbed the oven, washed the microwave and toaster oven, dusted the tops of cupboards, washed drawer fronts and pulls, mopped- all of it. My kitchen looks like I just moved in. "Seemed" however is the operative word here. When I came up to go to bed, I was more exhausted than I've been in I don't know how long. And then, when I got a side stitch just off to the left of my tiny new stomach, I started to panic. I manage a somatic anxiety disorder and an attention deficit- and once in a while, particularly when I'm too tired, I have an epic storm that just has to run it's course. So, I paced around my bedroom hyperventilating for 20 minutes and rued my decision to have this surgery. All I could think is, "what have you done?!?" It was pretty awful. This morning I feel fine, aside from an emotional hangover, which is really just what the absence of adrenaline feels like after a panic attack. Other than that, I'm glad I had the surgery again. I'm going to do some light yard work today in between naps and offer myself a helluva lot more grace and leniency. And tomorrow, I'm going to have my first solid food (puree) that I've had in a couple of weeks. That first two tablespoon serving is going to be magical.

I wouldn't jump ahead. They have these food progressions for a reason. You'll be able to have other things soon enough - and at some point, all food restrictions will be lifted. I know it's hard, but just hang in there..

Would I be right in thinking your nutritionalist is recommending a keto like diet? They are big on no root vegetables & no corn, peas because of their naturally high sugar content. (Potatoes are often a no because they are considered a starch.) I regularly ate carrot & sugar snap peas. I threw frozen corn & peas into soups, mince dishes, some slow cooked dishes, omelettes, etc, I usually just microwave my vegetables with a splash of water & a dab of butter but also will stir fry & occasionally roast (especially cauliflower with a little hummus & zataar to serve). I love vegetables & enjoy them best simply with salt & pepper but don’t be afraid to try herbs & spices. The only vegetables I don’t eat is potato, sweet potato & pumpkin (they tend to sit heavily) except a very small piece (bite or two) with a roast dinner. My thoughts were & are vegetables are vegetables (except potato). They are highly nutritious (all those vitamins, minerals & fibre) so a valuable addition to our food choices. And the little we eat, especially in the first months will have minimal impact on your calorie intake & weight loss. I mean 1/4 cup peas is 30 calories if you can eat that much. Plus the ‘sweet’ vegetables are naturally sweet so they don’t count towards your sugar intake. Certainly didn’t affect my weight loss or maintenance. I say eat your vegetables, just watch portion size & what you serve or add to them. Like no honey glazed carrots, sour cream or cheese sauces at least for a while.

I'm with you there! I'm currently day 8 post-op, and was also on an all liquid diet two weeks before surgery too. Been three weeks since I've had solid food of any kind and I want real food so badly. Thankfully I meet with my surgeon soon, hopefully he approves me to transition to soft foods.

I hope talking to them about it will help! It's funny because everyone knows right now I can barely eat anything, but they all catch themselves offering me food because it's "polite." I'm eating dessert, want some? I made this big meal full of stuff you can't even look at right now, can I get you a plate? And then I see it on their faces, it's like oh, wait... But since you're dealing with regain, it's good that you are figuring out your triggers and asking others to help you avoid them now so you can have the best chance for success the second time around.

You can take my advice with a grain of salt since I've never been in the position of losing too much weight and am only 4 weeks post-op, but I think at this point your best bet is to ignore calories and just listen to your body. Eat if you're hungry, don't eat if you're not, and focus on nutritious food. Your body will stop losing weight when it feels like it. I agree with @Spinoza that I think the surgery gives you a new set point. It's best to just see what that is and only worry about it if it's so low that it's unhealthy. More than likely, it'll bounce back up on its own if it's too low for you to maintain. But better you bounce up to where your goal was initially than put the brakes on now and then bounce up 10 lbs higher than you wanted in a year.

CHEESE. It is the answer to all of life's problems post WLS. Compact, filling, nutritious and portable at room temperature. Further down the line nuts and fruit will be your best friends. If you can avoid processed bars then that might be good. If not, the bars might be better than the available (more processed) alternatives such as fast food. Good luck - I hope you enjoy the field trip!

ChunkCat. I seen on another post where to listed out your daily food log and it was super helpful. I can’t find it now but i took a screenshot and I was just looking at it. I’m hoping my log will be somewhat similar. I am wondering about the keto muffins. You said homemade. Do you mean from a box or scratch. If scratch do you have a link to the recipe by chance?! Since my appt I have been eating lower carb and I am quickly recalling that if I don’t have carbs for a few days I don’t crave them nearly as strongly. I have since told two close friends, my husband and my aunt that apparently no i can’t have just one brownie or one slice of pizza or one piece of cake even if I have this surgery and I’m doing great and please try to remember not to tempt me because it’s hard enough on my own not to have it. I honestly think I’m addicted to carbs and I have to go cold Turkey to be able to do it. I mean I had a wrap the other day and that was okay because it was still low amount I think but if I have a lot. My body screams out for them again for several days afterwards. Maybe most of you know this or maybe I’m weird but I’m hoping that if people who love me understand this about me then maybe I will have better success this time around. Ooh and my point to telling you all that is that I would love to try your muffin recipe because I am basically doing low carb now. Lol