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Basically for dietary advice the nutritionist just recommended I get 100g protein/day and chew bites the size of a dime until they are mush or the texture of applesauce and to incorporate new foods and keep trying them if my body rejects them. For the most part, things that it's not content eating and make me sick are anything pork and most type of noodles. They're just too heavy and dense.

Vital proteins

same! I am on soft foods as well, and I found that if I eat the soft chicken or turkey. I eat 1oz I feel so satisfied for a long time too. So I think incorporating those protein rich foods will help us.

I'm further out, so what you will be able to eat right after and what I can eat now are pretty far apart. What I can eat now, 1 year post revision surgery, is what I consider a normal amount. For example, last night for dinner, I had 2 chicken drum sticks, 1/2 a cup of french cut green beans, and 1/2 cup sauteed squash. It was delicious and I was satisfied and between comfortable and full. I ate that at 6pm and had my final snack at 9pm, which was a small handful (maybe 12 or 14) of lightly salted almonds and 7 colby jack cheese cubes. And I went to bed at 10pm. For breakfast this morning I had a 2 egg omelet with colby jack cheese and half a sliced avocado with my mushroom coffee. For my first snack of the day, I'm having strawberries and blueberries (about a half a cup of each) and a vanilla protein smoothie (mostly just because I find them yummy for a snack sometimes). For lunch I'm having a salad with cucumbers (3 sliced cut in half), bacon bits (just a small sprinkle), sliced grilled chicken (3 strips cut in half), spinach and romaine lettuce (about a cup), about half a handful of chick peas (aka garbanzo beans), and 4 tbsp of ranch dressing. No idea what I'm having beyond that today. But that gives you an idea of what is normal for me. Everyone is different, though. You have to see what will end up working for your body, your lifestyle, and your needs. It'll come in time, just be patient and trust the process.

Hi Lark, I was in the same position. Returning to a highly demanding job, 12hr shifts, encompassing both sitting a a computer, walking/moving and high stress, I was exhausted. I had many fears, would I manage, would I be able to eat and drink? I decided to go back after 4wks as I needed to get over that hurdle. it was tough, I work nights and days, so going back for 3nights after a month of sleeping 9hrs per night was daunting. I managed, pre-planning involved making up a box of protein drinks, 25-50g tubs of snacks, and high protein non perishables and putting it in my locker. My fluid intake was planned out, 3 x500ml bottles of water, 1x protein shake. A couple protein balls in my pocket, lentil soup for my 1am break. I think I did around 12k steps that night. So yeah come morning I was shattered. since that block of nights, I’ve also been on days, which I always struggle with anyway. There was an added problem this time, of slight reflux in the morning, which was new to me. I found a few dry crackers (10g) in my pocket helped. I can drink when sitting at my computer and if o have to run to my locker for a 5min time out and a snack I can do so. the swap from days to nights and vice versa is not easy. I am considering asking for only days for the time being, which has financial implications but might be better for my health. Do what’s right for you. I wanted returning to work over with, so I’d not worry about it. This process has been one of trial and error for me. Good luck. I wish you well o your road to health. X

I'm 5 weeks post op RNY, I eat 3 meals of protein, 2 oz per meal, and add 1 cup of fairlife milk and a protein shake. If I'm feeling hungry I'll add 2 oz of greek yogurt or protein pudding for a fourth meal. I usually feel a bit hungrier on days that I swim. I exercise every day and I can tell when I got too into it, I feel tired and hungry. So far the easiest to digest have been ground turkey, smoked salmon, chicken, tuna, and cottage cheese. I'm still drinking chicken broth when I feel like I need more salt and if I forget that, I crave chips. I also pretty much eat my weight in sugar free popsicles.

So I went to my post op appt at my family practice dr. I asked about my gallbladder and she agreed that it’s really not that life altering. It’s just going to be a balance with my SADI making me malabsorb fat. I need to consume enough for my body to still function without taking in too much because I don’t have a gall bladder. Next up was my lack of bowel movement. I finally had one day 7 then again the morning of day 8 and 9. All in the morning and all pretty regular except very loose. Then days 10 and 11 so far nothing. Today I feel like I need to go but can’t. She said to increase the stool softeners back to two a day and take milk of magnesia tonight if I still haven’t gone. The nurse showed me how to do my B-12 shot and guess what guys I did it!! She said the needle the pharmacy gave me was bigger than I needed and gave me a smaller one to use and to take with me so I could get more. She showed me how to get it into the needle but had me do the shot itself. I think I want someone to watch me just one more time to make sure I got it but i think I got it. It did it hurt at all. Didn’t even feel it honestly. And once my hands stopped shaking it was really easy to do. I took the needle back to my pharmacy and showed them and they do Jace them and they sell them so I went ahead and got 12 so if it continues to be a monthly thing I’m good for a year. i will add that I am home now and using the mug warmer for my scrambled eggs I am eating them out of a mug because I do not have a flare with a bottom smaller than the 4” for it to sit flush but it’s working. The eggs are not piping hot but they are staying warm. @draikaina8503 i would probably add fat free milk instead of water thinking it would taste a little better. I assume at that stage You just need it to run off the spoon like liquid. Similar to your protein shake.

Its pretty insane! I have upped my calories, just making sure that I hit my protein and water goals. I eat 50g of carbs and 30-50g of fat. Its all "healthy fats" but its falling off a lot quicker than I anticipated! Which I guess is a good thing? I saw you comment about just trusting my body and letting it do it thing but I adjusted my goal to 170 that puts me in the "normal" BMI section. I am trusting the process, but its sus LOL We both are killin it!

It is a bit unnerving to have days where you can only get a small amount of food in, then the next, so much easier or visa versa. I agree with the others here that it all seems to balance out. Unless on those easier days, you are consuming slider foods and not the protein and veggies as prescribed. My appetite ups and downs haven't seemed to hinder my weight loss at all. In fact, it's probably good to vary your daily caloric amount (within limits) so the body doesn't adapt. Kind of the same as with exercise. I recently met a woman who had Gastric Bypass quite a few years ago when WLS was young, and she had gained all her weight back. It served as a reminder that I never want to go back there ever again. If we don't make the changes we need to early on, regain is inevitable. The surgery can only take us so far... GL

Thank you so much! I don't personally know anyone else who has had the sleeve so my options of talking about my fears are limited. I've been good up until these last two weeks. Nerves.

Hello ChunkCat. I don’t do Facebook but thanks for the suggestion. I am actually thinking that if eating bad is what causes the side effects and eating good does not it may be just want I need to keep myself on track. I need to definitely meet with the dietician a couple times to learn about the simple vs complex carbs and other macro stuff. I only focused on calories and protein post sleeve and I’m sure that was half of my issue of why I gained it back. Do you have to take a lot of vitamins post SADI or is it just a multi and calcium like the sleeve.

@BlueParis As I mentioned before my bariatric docotor and dietician both said exhaustion is a thing up to 4 or 5 months before your body starts getting back to normal. Low Iron and other problems could contribute. From my blood test results that's not the case. Exhaustion is part of the process. The dietician wanted me to stay close to 100 grams of protein a day. My average is around 135 grams. I log everything through the baritastic app that she can access. Seems weird to me that I should stay close to 100, but they've done this many times before. So I'll follow the guidelines to see what happens. @NickelChip i weighed myself the night before my DR. Appointment. I was 241 lbs. The next day on the doctors scale i was 245 lbs. I think my scale is 1 or 2 lbs off. Either way, I gained overnight and that is frustrating. But, the part I took away is all the inches i had lost. The Doctor and nurse both have had bariatric surgery. They kept reassuring that the process is working, but it can be slow.

Thanks so much for your reply. I’m sorry to hear you are struggling a bit but glad you are tolorating at least some real foods and getting your protein in. I am trying low carb recipes each day and have found a few that are good for me. I just have to sift through the super high fat ones that I’m guessing won’t be ideal post op. I won’t get into specifics since you are limited in what you’re eating right now. I’m kinda shocked that you are still dealing with nausea and abdominal pain at four months. I know everyone’s body is differnt but Do they act like that is common for recovery? Is the vitamin deficiency related to the surgery?

This is so awful, I am beyond sorry that you have had to go through this. I know most of us can completely empathise with how hard the waiting game is at the best of times, let alone with the added stress of the NHS and how badly run it seems to be with WLS! I had initially considered just staying on the NHS waiting list (I am currently on the Tier 3 Weight Management programme), but after hearing awful experiences like yours, and from reading about waiting times, I decided to look into going private with Spire. I think it may be worth just getting a second opinion in regards to what you were told before by a private surgeon! My surgeon, Simon Monkhouse, was amazing in the initial consultation. I have PCOS too, and an underactive thyroid, and he recommended a bypass and was transparent about it all. You can get a free consultation with him quite quickly, maybe this would be an option for you! simonmonkhouse.com I have everything crossed for you that you will get the surgery soon, and everything will work out. I'd definitely pursue putting in a complaint, too. Sending love and hugs x

I was looking at my weight scale app and so far for this year, 2024 I've lost 23.2 lbs total or 5.8 lbs a month from January 1st to May 1st; 5 months - 23 pounds! That's my total weight loss for months 4 - 9 post op. I understand everyone loses at different rates, but isn't this too slow for only being 4-9 months post op? I'm almost at only a pound a week! I was under the impression that about 2 lbs a week is normal at 9 months - 12 months. Then after 12 months po1 pound a week is normal... I could also understand if I were eating more calories, I'm sticking to 800 max a day - what I've been told to stick to by my dietician, 80grams protein, under 50 net carbs, under 20 sugar grams... Anyone have any ideas, comments etc!? I don't mean to complain, but heck I was hoping to lose more than a pound a week following surgery at this point in time, Most can accomplish that without surgery! Again, anyone have the same problem at this point in their timeline? But if so, did they continue to lose or am I getting to that point my body says I'm done? Anybody?

For smoothies I started with milk, added Greek yogurt or 0% flavoured yogurt. Some yogurts have lots more protein in than others. Fruit and some low sugar peanut butter. I never had any protein shakes.

Yes. As time goes on, you are able to eat more. It's normal, as long as you don't push it too far, or eat a lot of slider foods or foods higher in calories and carbs. There are some days where I can eat what seems like a lot (although compared to what I used to eat, it's a nominal amount) and then there's days where I struggle to eat even the smallest amount. I honestly don't know why that is, even when I make sure to follow my diet and eat the same types of things across the board. I just look at is like this: the days I eat less balance out the days I eat more. As long as you stick to the eating plan and prioritize protein first (then veggies, then carbs and healthy fats), and I make sure I'm not grazing or eating even when I'm not hungry (head hunger) then I figure it's all ok and will even out in the end.

Thank you so much for mentioning this podcast. I had to go to town to have blood drawn this morning, and I started listening to them. I started with the finale, and oh my gosh, they made me cry. When one talks about the best part of the journey so far and describes the thoughts she had as an obese person. I just lost it. I'll be 69 years old next week, and when I think about the hours of my life lost in "obese thoughts," it really hurts. Things like "Am I the largest woman in the room?" "What will the poor person next to me on the airplane think?" "Will I be able to sit at all comfortably in that chair?" "Will I break that plastic chair?" "Do I have to find sturdier beach chairs?" "What are they thinking of me?" etc... the thoughts have been never-ending and all-consuming at times. I'm going to go back and listen to more of their podcasts. Thanks again! @NickelChip Yay on the weight coming off again! So exciting, I'm really happy for you. I can understand the not being interested in food. There are times I even dread it. I try to shop for things that I like and they sound good in the store, but when it comes time to eat, I'm usually apathetic about it. Good luck with your vacation. I found some protein bars I like, but they will melt sadly. In case you haven't tried them, they are https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0C4V2ML1C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I know I shouldn't complain because I'm feeling great and hitting my protein and water goals every day since I got home from the hospital, even tolerating soft proteins really well. If it weren't for the incisions and the lack of hunger, I'd almost forget I had anything done. But man, I would check my scale for bad batteries if I hadn't just changed them. My preop diet was a very exciting time as I was dropping weight like crazy. 15 lbs in 14 days! I was 238.8 on February 7, and the day before I went to the hospital, February 20, I weighed in at 223.4. I stayed off the scale after getting home because I knew I had IV fluids and all of that to flush out of my system. But I weighed myself today, 10 days post-op, and I'm down exactly 1 pound at 222.4. Color me underwhelmed. I know it's probably just an early appearance of the "3 week stall." Logically, I understand all the reasons for it to happen. But it doesn't stop me from wanting to kick something, specifically, my scale. My body will never miss an opportunity to mess with my head. Anybody else have a slower start after surgery than you were expecting? How long did it take to pick up the pace?

Hi thanks for responding! I actually do use the premier protein shakes every day for my coffee. I have a nespresso machine so I use 1 pod (like 2oz coffee) and a protein shake. I do the Starbucks / Dunkin iced coffees on Sundays. But bc I have a bad relationship w food I feel this is still bad. I actually love the challenges. They make me motivated and when I’m disciplined I feel so good. It’s once they’re done or if it’s a Sunday I’ll go off diet. Idk what it is about Sundays that make me feel like I just wanna be lazy and eat comfort food. 😞 And yesss I am the type of person that moderation can turn into a binge so I just try to stay away from certain foods all together. This surgery is helping me though. It’s helping me stay away from a lot of the wrong foods and if I do want something I can’t eat too much of it. How has your journey been?

As far as getting ready: I've got a binder my doctor gave to me. It has basically all the information that I should need going forward. I do look at it periodically to refresh my memory about what is expected of me. For the dietary changes and stages, I write everything I need to stop/start on a calendar. For example: I need to stop drinking coffee and need to taper off to avoid headaches. I am also weaning myself off carbonated water and need reminders. I'm struggling with a few things such as taking small bites, so I like to put reminders in my calendar so i have to see them every day. I'm also changing my vitamins over to different brands and also needed reminders for that as well. (I'm forgetful!) I've made a list of the things I need to buy such as different kinds of protein powder, unjury protein, chewable vitamins, calcium chews, small utensils, small plates, a drink blender, etc. I've made a list of things to pack for the hospital (thanks to several threads here on this website, I have a list going). As I purchase them, I mark them off. Along those lines, I have fairly good ideas of the types of things I will be eating in each dietary stage so that I can plan ahead for grocery shopping when I get to that point. I purchased several books off amazon that were used, and very inexpensive. Things like bariatric cookbooks and bariatric mindset success books. I do try to read a little bit each day and then journal about what I read. I drive a lot for work so I have plenty of time to listen to podcasts. There are several that I enjoy that I feel are science-based, supportive and informative. I've learned many things from these podcasts about bariatrics. They're free and it's easy to just put one on a few times a week. Besides bariatricpal, I am trying to avoid other websites that deal with bariatrics at this point. It felt overwhelming and felt like I kept going down a rabbit hole of horror stories and it was not helping with my anxiety. There is one person on youtube that I enjoy watching because she's many years out and is very inspiring. Now that I have a date for surgery, this all feels very real and scary. I am trying to not give into the fear too much and remember why I am here at this decision. I need to take charge of my health. I have ONE precious life. I want to live the rest of my life in the best health that I can. I've tried desperately since I was about 20 (in my late 40's now) to lose the weight and keep it off. I've had high blood pressure for 15 years and no matter what I do, It continues to be an issue for me. I've been warned that I am pre-diabetic and likely someday soon that will catch up to me and I'll officially be diabetic. I cannot do this on my own and maintain it. It's that simple. This is my second chance and I will not turn back. This is honestly a story about saving my own life by asking for help. I hope this helps.

Wow your life is so full on, and here i am struggling to go to work each day haha. I've got my 3 months post surgery coming up and i really hope my surgeon will be happy with my progress. Starting weight was 118.6kg way back in Oct on day of surgery was 111.9 kg and now sitting at 96.1 kg I've got to keep reminding myself that I've kept off 20kg since starting and that's a huge achievement for me but still want my surgeon to be happy. I've got a leg infection again at the moment so it has slowed down my walking routine (which annoys me) back to the doc this morning before work - i Just finished 2nd round of antibiotics - the pain feels like I've walked into a tow bar at shin level but constantly oh and i kind of high jump into bed because i can't put any weight on the knee. I suppose i should be grateful I've got a great gp that has already sent me scans to rule out blood clots. Other than that working on making better choices on protein my next dietician appointment is at the end of May and she says we will talk about Macros so I'm looking forward to that. My hubby went to see my surgeon as he is 233kg and surgeon wants him to get down to 180kg before surgery. Has advised him to go on weight loss medication (our GP gave him a scrip for Ozempic to begin with which is 1 needle a week) and he is off to see my dietician mid June so I'm happy with that. The dietician associated with his other surgeon told him just to eat veggies and 1 meal a day of 300 calories, even i had a protein allowance in my pre diet. I went for a short walk/hobble at a Lake near our work yesterday and i must of brushed under a tree with ants on it. Got back to work and stripped off clothes picking ants out of everywhere spent next few hours whilst driving bus, picking another Ant out under my clothing the little buggers. Fortunately no bites but i literally had ants in my pants. I'm on my 4th food tracking app this one i seem to like so hopefully I'll stay with it haha Anyway have a great day everyone.

I had gastric sleeve in Mexico in 2008. It was a good experience and I lost over 80 pounds in less than a year and reached my goal weight. My sleeve was wonderful and it was a good decision for me. I kept the weight off with ease until 2014 when I tore my right rotator cuff at work, was put on steroid treatments for almost a year until the insurance would allow surgery. While on steroids and following the first rotator cuff surgery, I tore the left rotator cuff in 2 places ( starting a powerwasher) which required an additional year of steroid treatments and more surgery. In the process or healing the left side, I tore the right rotator cuff again which caused more steroids and physical therapy and another surgery. In physical therapy they caused damage to the nerve in my left elbow which required the nerve in my elbow to be moved into the muscle. This was a very painful surgery and was difficult to overcome, hence more steroids, Gabapentin and pain meds for nerve pain. Needless to say, 2015 thru 2018 was difficult and I began to put on weight ten pounds here and there that I could not take off. No matter what I did, the weight sticks to my mid section and thighs. After trying for several years, I had just given up the battle. I had regained all of my weight by 2020 and am now able to eat just as much as always. I developed a cough in 2012 that my doctors said was asthma. Meds rarely help it. The heavier I get the worse it gets. I am starting to developed sleep apnea and rather than being put on a breathing machine at night, I am determined to get the weight off and then see where I am with sleeping issues. I contacted my doctor in Mexico and requested information on the sleeve revision and they also discussed the Bypass with me. I was accepted to have either one and due to an out of state job I am on at the time, I am tentatively scheduled for revision surgery in mid August. I have until the end of July to pay the difference and elect to have the bypass if that is what I choose to do. I am looking for information on both and looking for surgery buddies that may be having bypass or sleeve revision surgery in August that may want to share information or may have suggestions to help me decide which surgery to elect to have. My surgeon recommended the bypass or the min-bypass as the best option for me at my age and indicated that I would lose more weight with the bypass than the revision. I was recommended to visit this site to see others experiences and suggestions. Anyone out here have any information they want to share?

Ok, so a couple of things. First, let's look at things a little differently when it comes to that pound you lost. You LOST A POUND!!! Which means you DIDN'T GAIN A POUND!!!! WooHoo!!!! Sometimes, we have to remind ourselves that ANY loss is still a success. Some weeks will be better than others. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Next, you know where you went wrong with the foods you ate, you know you retain water when you have too much salt, so now you know what to avoid. Sometimes, the best way to learn is by trial and error. There's nothing wrong with experimenting with new foods. Just read the labels carefully and make adjustments accordingly to how much of that food you eat and what you eat the rest of the day to compensate for it. Finally, if I were to make a suggestion, I might say to lower your carbs a bit. That seems like a pretty high amount, and unless you're carb loading for intense workouts, I don't think you need to be over 100 carbs per day. PERSONALLY for me, I never go over 50, and that's on weight training days. But again, that's me. It just works out the best for my body. But I, too, had to experiment until I found the sweet spot for my body in regards to calories, carbs, healthy fats, protein. All in all, give yourself some grace, take note of what your body did and didn't do this week, and make changes as needed. You're still doing great, and you'll get to where you want to be. Don't worry about that.

Not exactly the same but yesterday I was told by my (well intentioned I guess) boss that he was concerned I wasn't eating enough as I looked a bit unwell and didn't seem to have much energy yesterday! Sorry but it was 30c / 86f in our office, no air con, no air circulating and I HATE the heat so I felt exhausted plus I hadn't had great sleeps the last few nights. I wasn't the only one struggling in the office yet he seemed to put my struggle down to the fact that he said he didn't think I was getting in enough calories and he had been watching how little I eat! I just said I was suffering from the heat and he had nothing to worry about on the food/calorie intake side of things as I am eating the right portion amounts, was hitting my protein goals most days, had good blood results and if anything I was probably snacking a bit too much on nuts! Then when I repeated this conversation to my Mum last night she then became concerned I wasn't eating enough and that I should look at maybe starting to try to maintain now or even put on a lb or two. Seriously, I have not even got to the goal weight my surgeon set for me (70kg , well it had been 75kg but then when I reached that he brought it to 70kg) and I am still off what I want (66kg). For my Mum though I know her concern comes from me living overseas and not seeing me a lot so she based her comments on the fear (to her) of what my boss said.