Search the Community

You've got some hoops to jump through, but don't be nervous. I'm a little less than a month past surgery and I already wish I'd done this 10-15 years ago. You'll need to figure out what your insurance requires in order to cover your surgery. This could be a period of supervised diet, it could be a requirement to lose a certain number of pounds or a percentage of your excess weight, or it could be as easy as just a few consultations and clearances. They usually want to make sure you'll be able to stick to the strict way of eating in the post-op phase. Then the hardest part is the pre-op diet. Most surgeons require some amount of liquid diet before the surgery in order to perform the surgery more safely. Some of us call it the "liver shrinking" diet. It's best if you step down over a few weeks. Replace one meal a day with a protein shake (use this time to audition shakes, though your tastes might change post-op so don't go crazy buying stuff). Then the next week replace two meals a day. Then the week or two that you have to do all liquid, go all in on liquid. Get off alcohol, caffeine and sugar as soon as you can—like now. Just accept you're going to have headaches and plan for them. You won't be able to have these things post-op, at least not immediately (and depending on what surgery you have, sugar may be off-limits period) Have an economy size box of Gas-X (chewable simethicone) for the few days after surgery, because you will want to burp out all the surgical air they inflate you with to be able to operate. Don't overpack for the hospital. You'll be exhausted. But do bring an extra long charging cable for your phone/tablet. Measure yourself—neck, upper arms, bust, gut, waist, hips, thighs, calves—and do it once a week for the first little while after surgery. I hit a stall about three weeks out (this is extremely common) and for the better part of a week I didn't lose any weight. But I lost a surprising amount of circumference, and that made me feel better. You've got this!

I experienced the same thing with lima beans. I tried them again a couple weeks later and much better, My biggest struggle is chicken. Unless it is shreaded, it gets stuck in my throat and hurts bad.

2 1/2 weeks out from rny, eating soft foods ok (introducing a new one every day) and getting in water. I think I'm swallowing air though I am trying very hard not to. I have many burps and gurgles with eating and drinking. I am using my son's baby spoon for foods, and putting it down between spoonfuls, am getting small sips of water constantly. How can I improve my food/beverage to air ratio? I am also very tired, not much energy. Is that normal?

Thank you! How are you feeling now almost 2 weeks out? I was a WRECK for the first 4-5 days but then I felt like a whole new woman ready to fight grizzly bears lol

Agreed with the above. You need to plan food & drinks very, very well as options will be limited and that early out you'll need to be hyper focused on nutrition and hydration. I also echo the DVT/blood clot concerns. Talk to your surgeon about the risks and whether or not a longer course of blood thinners may be appropriate. I am 3 weeks post-op and just recently had two 2 hour flights. It was manageable, but not great. I honestly don't think I could do a multi hour flight at this point, but I'm sure others absolutely could. There is really no way to tell exactly how you will feel, as everyone heals at their own pace. But if the trip is set in stone, the best thing you can do is prepare well.

I've lost 18 lbs in 4 weeks, and I thought I was doing great. I don't think you're a slow loser at all!

Carp. I'm 4 weeks out and I'm already at 600-700 calories a day and still hungry all the time. I have half a protein shake mixed with 10 oz decaf iced coffee for a start, then 150-250 calorie meal portions of eggs, beans, ground meat, ricotta bake, that are all low carb and medium fat, then a different one of those for lunch, then a snack of a protein shake or light and fit (80 calorie) Greek yogurt for a snack, and the same portion of whatever food for dinner. Last night I added sugar free hot cocoa made with high protein 1% milk because I couldn't take being hungry and I was also cold. I am drinking over 70 oz of liquid and protein is over 60g a day.

I "WAS"scheduled for my RNY on 10/19, BUT my Dr. has to leave for two weeks on a family emergency. So now I am scheduled for 11/4. Please nomoredelays.

it takes many of us about a week to "go" after surgery. There's not much in there, so... also, chronic constipation is a common problem even months or years after surgery (not everyone has it, but many of us do). It's probably still too early to tell if you're going to deal with that (you're still pretty new out of surgery), but Lizonaplain has some good suggestions if you end up dealing with that long term. But for now, it may just be the very common post-surgery "thing" - just give it a couple more days...

I'm 5 weeks post op and started feeling more normal last week. I was MISERABLE first three weeks. Hang in there!! It gets better.

Just found this app. So, I guess I'm getting a little worried. I have lost about 2 pounds in 1 week on the liver shrinking diet. It seems ridiculous. I'm not drinking very many protein drinks, maybe that's the issue?...just mostly water, low sodium broth and no sugar drinks, no carbonated drinks..or decaf coffee with a proteinshake in it.. I'm just so annoyed. Really thought I'd be like 5 pounds down by now. Anyone else having any of these issues? Sent from my SM-G975U using BariatricPal mobile app

Hi everyone! New year but have been lurking for a whole. 10/26 if surgery and will start liquid diet tomorrow. I’ve been so excited about this but now that it’s too weeks away I am starting to get so scared.

The average weight loss post weight loss surgery at five years is around 65% of the weight to be lost to be in the healthy BMI range. I think that is the 75% your surgeon is probably referring to - the difference could be based upon your specific surgery, the stats of his patients & possibly you & your situation vs another patient. As with all averages some lose more & can maintain it, some lose less & happily maintain at that weight. In years 2-3, it’s not uncommon for people to put on 10+/-lbs from their lowest weight as they settle into their new eating style. Some lose some of that weight others are happy to stay there because it’s an easier weight to maintain. As you’re losing you likely will experience stalls or (plateaus) almost everyone experiences at least one. It’s part of losing weight. Think of it as your body taking a break to try & catch up with the weight loss you’ve had so far. They break & you will start losing again if you stick to your plan. The goal is to reach a weight you are happy with, can enjoy your life at & can maintain with out gaining or losing (not including our natural weight fluctuations of course). Congrats on your weight loss so far.

As @ms.sss said. It can take time to work out that sweet spot of the number of calories your body needs to function & maintain your weight. It took me about 11 months till I stabilised, worked out how many calories I needed & was physically able to consume enough food to do so. Consequently I lost another 11kgs but have basically maintained there for about 12 months now. I eat less than @ms.sss - around 1200/1300 calories a day but I’m not very active. Not a runner nor the owner of a gym membership. 😁 If I was more active I’d need to eat more calorie dense food. If I was happy to maintain at a higher weight I’d also eat more. I eat three meals & 3-4 snacks a day. Generally I follow a healthy eating plan of nutrient rich foods. Prep most of my food myself. Almost every thing I eat contains protein. I eat fruit, vegetables, dairy, two serves of multi or whole grain carbs a day. I don’t have a lot of fat (salad dressing & liverwurst are the main - & worst - sources) & I got rid of a lot of sugar (real, artificial & substitutes) out of my diet. It also takes time to work out a way of eating that works within your lifestyle so you can still enjoy your life without being limited by restrictive food choices. My choices may not work for you & that’s perfectly ok. I doubt our bodies would gain weight faster than anybody else unless you’re eating more calories. The surgery gives your metabolism a boost & I’d think it would settle at a rate that is pretty acceptable for someone of your height, weight, activity level, age, gender, etc. Have a chat with your nutritionalist & discuss what eating options which may work for you.

Yeah, I'm shopping from the clothes that were in storage from when I had lost 100 lbs 7 years ago. I had almost gained it all back by January, when I started this process. I'm down almost 70 lbs now (18 since surgery 4 weeks ago), and a lot of the smaller clothes are fitting again, although I had given away a lot so I bought some stuff from a thrift store and a few basics from LL Bean and a new winter coat from Lands End. My winter coat from last year is a 3X so I ordered an XL, which is my current size.

That's amazing. I'm just 4 weeks out from surgery. I've had a bit of a struggle with being hungry all the time, but I'm hoping I will still be successful. I've lost 18lbs in the last 4 weeks since surgery, so I'm happy about that. I'm also feeling a bit irritable but our bariatric therapist can't see me until November, so I'm just seeing my regular therapist tomorrow. Congrats on your success!

I expect plateaus. I have had a few times where I've actually gained .4-.6 of a pound or stayed the same for a few days and I'm only 4 weeks out. That's true no matter how you lose weight, surgery or any other way. I don't know how long it will take me to get to whatever weight my body decides to settle at, but I know that having lost about 18 lbs in the first month, it will just get slower from here on out!

Total Scale Victory and Random Observations: I now have lost more than I weigh. I have lost 190 lbs. from my highest weight of 374. The first 50 was using Victoza for Type 2 diabetes. My bariatric program has my starting weight as 343. SW=325. CW=185. My program doesn’t give goal weights. For my own satisfaction, 174 would give me a normal BMI. I’d like to end about 170 knowing that some gain/loss is possible as things settle. I’m 5’10”. I have gone from a size 30/32 to a 14. I haven’t been this size since early high school. I look forward to doing things rather than dreading them. I’ve been off all diabetes meds since surgery. I am still using my CPAP although I’ve had the pressure lowered twice. I see the sleep program in December and we will re-evaluate then. I suspect I will still have a need for it. My cholesterol medication will be re-evaluated in December as well. My doctor thinks it likely I will remain on that med due to family history. That is the only medication I take other than my vitamins and supplements. I track in LoseIt. I track every bite, every day. It keeps me accountable to myself and I foresee it as something I will need to do forever. Today is the first time I ever exported my progress to a spreadsheet. On other groups, I see so many questions that ask how much someone has lost at a given point. I honestly never knew what I did. These are my totals lost from first to current month: 16, 19, 17, 15, 15, 18, 4, 9, 17, 10. I exceed my liquid goals every day and never tracked that after the first week. I’ve never had any trouble with liquids and I know roughly what I drink each day as I know what my mug holds. I also ran my macros for the first time. Since surgery, I’ve kept protein to 40-50% of my diet with fat and carbs 25-30%. I’m still at 800-1000 calories per day. My program has said that is relatively low at this point but as long as I am losing and not feeling hungry, it was fine. My hunger has not returned. I am grateful for that. I’ve tried to build successful habits that will serve me for the long haul. I’ve been walking since coming home from the hospital. I started at 5-10 minutes per day. Now, I try to walk 45-60 per day at a moderate pace. I use 5 lb. weights and do toning exercises for 10-15 min. most days. I’ve started seeing virtually a therapist recommended by my program. I don’t have a history of trauma or eating disorders but I didn’t get to my weight by having a healthy relationship with food. Plus, I was very moody and short-tempered following surgery. I feel great and have more energy than I have in years. But This. Is. Work. I’m ok with that and try to keep my focus on progress and health. I follow what my program suggests and make my own decisions within that framework. There is no short cut to this. There’s no pouch reset, fasting, diet pills and how soon can I eat at McDonalds. I ranted on here one time about hating the word “pouch.” I still do. I hate pouch reset even more. 🙄😫 I don’t believe in it. We don’t need to reset. We need to make the best decisions and choices we can without needing to be perfect. Sure, you lose weight with it, but it’s simply because you are going back to not taking in many calories….and most of us have been down that road before. I continue to absorb the wisdom I get here from those who have gone down this road before me or are on it now. I still hate shopping even though it is not as difficult as it once was. I’m still not sure who I see in the mirror and am uncomfortable with focus on my weight loss. I could eventually benefit from plastic surgery, but I don’t know if that will be in the cards. Enough for now……thanks for reading.

Yes, plateaus/stalls are common, and only indicate a pause in weight loss, not the end of it. You just keep following your program and the weight will continue to come off eventually.

I’m 5 weeks post op and I’m losing weight at a fairly good clip. Question: when the doctor says you should expect to lose 75% of the total amount you need to lose (or whatever the percentage is) from the surgery, should you expect that to happen continuously? Or will should I expect to hit a plateau before the 75%? Does that make any sense?

It seems to me that your loss is pretty normal (unless you had an extremely high BMI). Some of us are slower losers than others but time and time again I hear of people who lose the weight even if they are slower losers. I’m not sure where you read about 5-15 pounds a week but maybe they meant per month??

I’m 2 months post op right now and losing about 2 pounds a week. Sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less. I’m fine with that. Pre-surgery I would lose the same amount a week on a 1500kcal diet, but I would be struggling mentally to stick with the diet. Now I’m having no trouble at all sticking to my protein and kcal goal.

I'm just 2 months postop. I lost about 50 pounds preop. Since surgery, I've lost 24. I've been losing basically around 2 pounds a week. My dr office said that by 6 weeks they like to see 15-25 pounds....so I'm right in the middle there. But I get your frustration. I knew that losing weight beforehand would give me a slower weight loss rate -- but it's a "healthy" rate (1-2 pounds per week). AND I look at it as I'm 50 pounds ahead of the game. And if I didn't have the surgery, I probably wouldn't still be losing weight every week AND I most likely would have gained back what I already lost.

I'm not someone who tended to use straws before surgery (4 weeks ago). Today I had to have a CT scan to check for gallstones and they gave me 500mL of contrast to drink, with a straw in it. I looked at the bottle and it seemed like it wasn't intended to drink from directly, so I used the straw. I had no issues, other than the taste of the drink. I hate paper straws but I think if I need to use a straw for a particular reason and I'm given a plastic one, I'll use it.

Well, i averaged 300-400 calories A WEEK for the first two weeks. Then 300-400 cals A DAY for the first couple months (i went through a serious case of food aversion) I *think* this is “sustainable” (for lack of a better word) for a small while in the beginning because we have LOTS of fat storage that our bodies can use for energy. If I did 300-400 cals a day for an extended period of time now, I’d probably be in the hospital. As for boosting cals, others have already mentioned above: healthy fats (avocados, nuts, nut butters, olive oil, etc.). I personally relied on chicharron (i.e., cracklins/pork rinds), as its high in cals and protein…but i realize its not for everyone and the high fat content may cause dumping in some. Good Luck! ❤️