Search the Community

Still in the pre-op phase here. Just wondering what everyone else is doing for diet? I had lost 10% of my weight at the 6 month preop time. Now I’ve gained back 5-7 pounds and can’t get past it. Up and down and back and forth. Wondering what you all are following as far as calories, macros, etc that seems to be working. Not sure if my body just freaked out at the 10% mark but I’m really struggling and I’d like to lose as much as possible before surgery if I can. I’m exercising doing CrossFit or walking/yoga 5-6 days a week. Any advice?

I stopped losing at 9 months. Now I'm at it again 3 years later trying to drop a few pounds. Very slow, glacial slow, but it's working

At what point did you stop losing? I’m almost at a year, and have gone up/down the same 2 pounds for 2 months. I am happy at this weight (would love to lose another 10-15 pounds to be at a “normal” BMI), but am wondering if this is typically the end of weight loss. I’m feeling pretty good about continuing the daily maintenance it would take to stay this way long term. I’m not willing to do much else to lose weight because mentally, I feel I’d start obsessing, which would backfire eventually. I want to be at peace and not gain. 😊

Thank you for posting! After reading it, I am very glad I made the decision to go the RNY route instead of sleeve which was my original choice. I suffer from GERD and a sliding hiatal hernia that has me in pain most days. Until the pre op work up, I didn't realize I had either. I had assumed everyone suffered from heartburn. I would usually "just deal with it" without any meds. I made a point to start taking Tums EVERY time I had heartburn and the amount I was taking was quite the eye opener. I am excited to have the operation on March 3rd and get rid of the pain hopefully forever. Good Luck next week!!!

I began my WLS journey in 2015 with gastric sleeve surgery in September. My starting weight was 301, which I had managed to diet down to 285 by the time I was approved for surgery. Surgery weight was 277. Surgery was uneventful and I was back at my normal activities within a couple days. My goal weight was 185, but I only managed to lose down to 210. I believe this was because I made the mistake of continuing to drink alcohol after surgery (although less than before) and still ate too many snacks and slider type foods. Over the next several years my weight gradually increased until it settled in at about 230-235. Then the pandemic occurred and that added 20 pounds, so I was back to 255. This is when I learned what I felt was a good method to handle regain - I combined time restricted feeding with keto dieting... I only ate between Noon and 6pm, and strictly limited carbs. Doing this for a couple of months I was able to drop from 255 back to 235. I had issues with reflux before the surgery, and they continued after. They seemed to worsen as time passed. I learned not to eat at least 3 hours before bedtime, and still sometimes I'd end up sleeping in the recliner for several hours when the reflux was particularly bad. I also had developed a hiatal hernia (which a CT report said was small). Then in January of this year something changed. I started having issues where I could only eat a couple ounces of food without feeling severely overstuffed. This plus some bouts with chest pain prompted a couple of ER visits for cardiac workups. Finding no cardiac issues my doctors determined the pain was likely the hernia that had expanded. I also started experiencing symptoms that seem to be consistent with "silent reflux", such as throat, ear tube and sinus issues. I scheduled an EGD with my bariatric surgeon who found a 3cm hiatal hernia. He is going to repair it this coming Tuesday, and to prevent recurrence of the hernia as well as to resolve the GERD issues is doing a revision to RNY. I'm not happy about having to start over with the healing process, but am excited to finally lose the excess weight, correct the hernia and GERD, and get a chance to do things right the second time. So, here are some lessons learned along the way. If they can help someone else then this post is worth making: 1. Listen to your surgeon. If they recommend one procedure over another, there is a reason why. I probably should have done the RNY in the beginning but opted for the sleeve even though I had existing reflux issues. 2. Follow the dietary guidelines. They are there to assure the most successful weight loss. Unfortunately I 'taught myself' how to overcome the carbonation in beer and continued to drink it after recovery, which is a large part of the reason for lack of loss and regain. I wasn't addicted to either, but both were present in my social environment. I have now determined that alcohol and junk food are poison to my system and have resolved to be diligent in avoiding them. 3. If you do experience regain, get on it quickly. I found that time restricted feeding along with a keto eating plan worked wonders for me. I was essentially following the insulin control program established by Dr. Jason Fung. I quickly dropped close to 20 lbs using my sleeve along with this plan. 4. The sleeve, or bypass, is a tool that is given to you for life. You have a great window of opportunity the first year to lose weight and correct health problems. Make the most of it. Even though the tool is still there in later years, it becomes more difficult to lose weight after your system is fully healed and settled into normal life. It's possible, but harder. Make the most of the "one year honeymoon" window!

P.S. If you stick to your clinic's plan and your overall weight trend is down, you're good. Some of us lose faster than others for a variety of reasons, that someone above listed. I was a slow loser from the get-go but followed my program to a "T", and I lost 100 % of my excess weight, over 200 lbs. As I wrote above, I was about at the same place as you are when I was 11 weeks out. So don't worry - you are doing just fine!

Hey there! Just had a revision from sleeve to bypass on February 3. I'm very curious about dumping and what one's body will and won't tolerate after surgery. What happens if you eat a few French fries? A bite of a burger? Bacon? A fat-laden keto meal? A few spoons of ice cream? A bite of pasta? An onion ring? Do you immediately feel ill and nauseous? Can you handle any fat in your diet? Any sugar? Please do share your experiences with me. I know everyone's different but also want to imagine what lies ahead. Thank you!

I was told to stop my Prenatal a week before and start it again a week after. Not told to use a chewable. Then the calcium and b-12 are to be started at 6 weeks post op. I'm starting my liquid diet Monday and was given gabapentin to start 3 days before and a nausea patch for the night before to keep on the day of as well. Sent from my IN2017 using BariatricPal mobile app

I told some people but not others. When I took up a new work contract 4 weeks after surgery they just presumed it was a ‘female surgery’ which I never corrected cause they didn’t have to know. You could say you’ve been having some digestive issues so they did an exploratory but found nothing untoward. You’re being very careful with your diet to see if that helps. Whatever story you go with for those super inquisitive people (we all know those people) just be comfortable with it. All the best with your surgery.

I only told my husband, mother, son, and his girlfriend. It got kind of dicey because I ended up in the hospital an extra week. I didn’t go out to dinner with the rest of the family during the liquids and soft food phases. Now I can eat regular food and I get a to go box and take most of it home or just get an appetizer.

It is scary and the first week is the worst. Once you’re into the regular food stage, it gets pretty easy and you forget about the unpleasant first days.

I’ve only thrown up once in 3 months. The chicken breast I had was too dry. I’ve been able to eat pretty much anything. Just eat a tiny bit of anything you try for the first time. When I eat out at a restaurant, the food lasts for several meals. It hasn’t been bad at all. It’s nice being full from a small meal.

I just checked my monthly weight records. I just did it by the month, not the week (at least in my Excel spreadsheet), so this isn't exactly 11 weeks, but at the three-month mark, I'd lost 39 lbs. You're not quite at three months, but you will be in another week or two. So we're roughly the same. And I started out well over 300 lbs.

I totally understand. I'm always worrying about gaining weight - and I always think I look "fat". I sometimes see pictures of myself taken several months ago - or maybe a year ago - and think "wow - I looked pretty good at that weight - I should try to get back to that again" only to check my records and see that I weighed exactly the same as I do now - or maybe only 2 or 3 lbs more. ARRRRGGGH. It's the body dysmorphia - and it's not uncommon. Yes - I do think therapy might help.

Thank you so much for the pick me up! It's been 11 weeks. I thought 4 months almost I guess. Sent from my SM-A716U using BariatricPal mobile app

Sleeve here you need to look at what is rite for you , how much weight you need tk loose and so on I had sleeve I was 100 lbs. over weight I’ve lost 40% in 2 months this was rite for me but have a friend that got sleeve also 1 week before me I think she should had done the bypass she is much larger then me and is eating way to much. So you need to be honest with your team and see what is best for you , you can always get sleeve and go back if it wasn’t rite but you can’t go to just a sleeve from a bypass.

Gigi I am almost exactly 3 months post op and I have lost 33lbs. I'm sure you know that SO many things affect the rate at which we lose weight - starting weight, age, hormones, fitness level, exercise level - not just calorie intake. I already see my loss slowing down but I am in this for the long haul. People who hit a long stall will try to increase protein, increase calories, try a different exercise regime - maybe upper body only for you - or even resistance bands to try to build a bit of muscle? In any case you shouldn't be bummed - you've lost a significant amount of weight, you're already way healthier, and if you stick to your programme you're likely to lose even more.

If it makes you feel better: since posting that I’ve completely stalled and have gotten insane stomach cramps. I’m going to the Dr on Monday because it hurts so much. Hang in there! From everything I read and heard it’s the once that lose “slow” and steady that are the most successful long term!

Thank you! Yeah, I don't know if I had screwed up my metabolism or what...but I was workin my tail off and getting nowhere! Then I would give up, eat whatever I wanted for a week, gain another 10 pounds, and start the cycle all over again. Good luck with your surgery! You will be amazed at how quick it comes off! Sent from my SM-N976V using BariatricPal mobile app

I had my one week post op appointment today. I am down 16 pounds since my pre op appointment on 1/28. My doctor had me eat an egg before my appointment today to see how I tolerated it. I did okay. So, he wants me to transition to two Protein Shakes a day and one puréed “meal” (2 ounces) starting tomorrow. He really drove home the importance of 64 ounces of Water each day. (I have been hitting 48-56 a day). He said I could go back to work on Monday but to be very aware that my energy level will likely be low. So, I am pleased with the appointment and look forward to going back in a month!

2 months post-Op and except for the day of the surgery, I haven't thrown up even once. Fortunately for me, it hasn't been a turbulent recovery, can't same it's same for all. But personally speaking, I haven't thrown up and have tolerated most of the food group. I don't do grains as much since they feel heavy. Only once when I had tried a small size of pizza, I have had some discomfort in my chest. That's about it. So for the time being I don't do much grains. I'll incorporate them beyond month 3. Good luck with your journey 😊

Amazing progress! Good job! So funny you said that about the CrossFit workouts! I’m now 7 1/2 months in pre-op. Stepped it up to CrossFit 4-5 days a week from 3 and since I hit the 10% loss I’ve gone nowhere and even gained about 5 pounds back! I can’t figure it out. Eat more, eat less, who knows! Gives me hope that surgery really will help!

Hello all, I just discover this forum, it is great to have a group of people sharing experiences, I found that no matter how much I thought I read about the surgery, it is different when you are living it. I had my surgery on 2/3/22 my weight was 253 I was loosing weight fast but yesterday and today I slowed down, I am 235 today but not complaining. I am having issues drinking the recommended amount of water and since today I can have non clear liquids, I will have some oatmeal for breakfast, I am excited, the complication so far is that maybe one of the medicines gave me an allergy my face was all red and it was painful but that is going away now, I started working from home yesterday and sitting for long periods hurts my incisions I have to remember to stand up more often, but that was one of the contributing factors to my weigh. Good luck to all of you who are going trough this, a friend of mine who had the same surgery keeps reminding me that it will get better soon.

I like to capture myself in the ring camera. The first photo was about 2 weeks ago and the second was about in June 2021. I had surgery in August 2021. 70 pounds down. Best decision I ever made to have surgery. In the June photo, I was restricting calories, doing insane crossfit workouts every day and getting nowhere. Life is so much easier now. If you're on the fence, do it. You won't regret it. Sent from my SM-N976V using BariatricPal mobile app

it's not that uncommon the first few weeks after surgery when you're healing and your stomach is pretty sensitive. You'll learn through trial & error that there are some things it won't tolerate - but in most cases, it'll eventually tolerate those things again - it's just the initial sensitivity. but beyond that, no - throwing up a lot is pretty unusual. I probably throw up maybe three or four times a year - really not that much more often than I did pre-surgery. And mine is usually due to the fact I overate. So...you learn... also, like someone else said, throwing up after surgery is different than before. First of all, your stomach is so small that there's not much in there to throw up - and also, there's not nearly as much acid in there, so you don't get that awful taste in your mouth. Let's just say it's a lot less "unpleasant" now. I don't dread it as much as I used to. btw - almost seven years out here - and after the first month or so, I rarely throw up.