Search the Community

I have always loved watermelon, and I've been eating it a lot, because it's easy to get pre-cut watermelon at the stores when I travel. It's hard to eat it slowly enough because it sort of disintegrates, but I still enjoy it. I have been eating pork tenderloin the last few days at my parents' house. It's dry (even though it's not overcooked at all, still pink and juicy) but I've been putting hummus or baba ganouj on it and it's so high in protein that it's helpful. I don't particularly enjoy chewing it to mush, but it's no different than other foods. Have you tried deli roast beef? I'm 8 weeks out and I have no issues with beef. I enjoy deli roast beef and beef short rib and flank steak cooked in Pho or Ramen (I just don't eat the noodles).

Happy November! It's been a while since I checked in since I missed our 6 month check in. Rolling into fall was hectic at work for me and I was exhausted at home afterwards. But, I won't miss Month 7. Happy Surgerversary to my fellow Sleevers and my April 6 surgery twins. I think there are 4 of us on here. I'm doing good overall. I never had a true goal weight, but I am 20 pounds lower that what the dietitian thought I might be able to lose, but that was a very brief comment made during pre-OP appts. My focus was health not a specific number on the scale. But, I will share that I do weigh daily on my scale every morning just to see what's happening. Emotionally this is not taxing for me. I do not recommend that for people who had a specific goal weight number and are distressed by the scale. I have even more uplifting milestones than what a scale can offer me. Like I need to get my ring resized before it falls off in public somewhere. Never had to do that so I've been procrastinating on figuring out what I need to do for that. But, I get its super easy. Lol. Last weekend I had to gut my closet of my entire fall and winter attire. The prior week was cold and I didn't have any pants at all that fit. The closet is still a mess as I toss sweaters, baggy Jean's, etc. Shopping during the summer was fun and I loved it. But, I dont like cold or winter, so I procrastinated. Shoes are lose as well so I need some winter shoes. I kind of view winter clothes as more expensive than summer, another reason I procrastinated. I'm grateful for sure, just not thrilled about the expense for a season I don't enjoy. So, those are non-scale victories. I'm doing ok food wise, BUT I noticed in October that my restriction is less. Oh, that scares me. I don't want that at just 6-7 months. I also had grazing episodes in October. That scared me even more. I don't eat off plan. My grazing was with fruits, veggies, cheese sticks, and almonds. But, still, it scares me. I haven't cheated in terms of sugar, carbs, soda, etc. I'm proud of myself for that, but dont want less restriction or grazing urges. Also, water intake declined at work last month due to mainly distractions being busy and honestly not having any thirst that even triggered a thought to drink anything. I still only drink water. No juices or soda, plus I'm not a coffee or tea drinker so I'm just water. I try to make up when I get home, but I know that's not good. I'm at a point that I just want to maintain my current weight orsize. I literally just stepped on the scale before typing this sentence. I'm only .6 ounces from an even weight that I can live with. If I dip maybe 2 pounds down, I'm good. I don't want to be tiny. I'm purposely not sharing a number because I dont want to trigger anyone. Monday night I opened a plastic totem of clothes that has clothes from like 10 years ago when I was smaller. Everything except two items fit. It was an awesome Monday night. The two things that did not fit were too big. I'm good here. I'm happy to go down maybe two more because I expect maybe a 3-5 pound fluctuation during maintenance so I want some wiggle room. What I'm not doing good at all? I'm not weight training or strength training. Ugh! Walking, i love. But, i just haven't done what I'm supposed to do with this area. I know i need to but i just get no pleasure from the thought of that weight stuff. Help! Man, long message. I wish all the best to everyone. Would love to hear from folks. Please dont compare your journey to anyone else. If you are a newbie here to the WLS journey, please know that it gets easier around Month 2 post surgery. The first few days will certainly be a challenge. You just had surgery. The first month will be a different experience for you than life before surgery. But as you get into your flow past Month 2, it's not that bad. For me, it's not bad at all. I don't miss the bad stuff I ate. I don't feel like I'm suffering in life. I'm not food deprived. I love having restriction. I don't have any longterm medical issues from the sleeve. You will read a range of horror stories and pleasant stories. Experiences fall on a huge continuum. My experience is just mine. Your experience will be your experience. Be clear about why you are doing this. It is not an easy fix at all. It takes commitment and clarity. All the best to everyone.

Update: I've started getting a bit nauseous from the ProCare Health but I think I just need to take them with food. Apparently vitamins absorb better with food anyway. Our surgery center said no gummies. I was supposed to take the chewable vitamins for a month after surgery but I couldn't stand them so I switched to the capsules after two weeks and I had no issues (until I started getting nauseous a few days ago).

Pre op has definitely gotten easier. Not quite a full week in and I’ve lost 13 lbs!

I’m two weeks from sleeve to Bypass and I have only lost 4lbs since surgery. My doc said I need to eat more calories and hit my protein. I just don’t have a desire for soups, hate milk so protein drinks I just can’t stomach anymore and everything so sweet. I been only getting 200 cals or less. I have one more week before I get to chew on food lol. Has anyone else had an unquenchable thirst? No matter what I drink or how much I am always dry mouth. Only thing that helps is popsicles.

I’m nearly 4 weeks on Monday out since the gastric sleeve, I spoke with my Bariatric nurse yesterday she said it’s very common around this time to stall and she explained when you were on a normal diet that you get stalls and don’t lose every week. but it will start coming off again. I haven’t lost anything in over a week but I also have my period and I normally put water weight on while I’m on it and so next week I’m probably going to start losing, fingers crossed, so don’t worry about the stalls, they happen and it’s just your body trying to catch up with the little amounts of food and getting over the stress of the op.

I am scheduled for surgery next Tuesday the 9th and am starting to worry that my lack of significant weight loss on the pre-op diet is a sign that I won't lose as much weight post-op as I would like. I've followed the instructions pretty closely--1000 calories a day, 60-80 grams of protein. I lost about 6 pounds the first week but have only lost about .2 in the last 3 days. Other people I have spoken with who have had the surgery lost 10 pounds or more during the pre-op diet, so my mid-diet plateau does have me a little concerned. My surgeon doesn't require a strictly liquid diet, so I don't know if that has something to do with it. Is my pre-op weight loss normal/how much did you lose during the pre-op?

I'm 4 weeks after my bypass. Mine stalled last week but back on track I'm losing around a kilo/2.2 pounds a week. I was so obsessed with it I put in my head as long as I lose or stay the same I'm doing fine. Body is learning. Good luck Xxx

Update: the drugs are working! The pain is almost completely gone, no more weird gallstone-like-pain attacks waking me in the night, and today I managed to eat half a small falafel which I could not have done three days ago. Tiny steps re-introducing soft solid food again, but it's a welcome relief being able to swallow even a tiny bit. So it was definitely ulcers and I'm definitely on the mend. My surgeon is awesome.

This whole process has taken me a while. A few years ago I was looking into it (again) and insurance didn't cover. I kept calling every year to see if things changed. Last year they had! I had previously done an "intake" of sorts, just in case they did cover (as advised) and I'm glad I did because I would have been on quite a waiting list as well. I was able to skip ahead quite a bit because I was in the system. Beyond that, the program for the surgery is six months. After finishing that, I got pneumonia 1 week into my pre-op diet. My surgery was off. I got scheduled again, and got postponed again, and now I'm on my third date, which is in a few days. It's all been pretty frustrating and mentally quite the challenge. A six-month process has taken me well over a year, lol. It's given me more time to prepare, but also more time to worry. I wish I were farther in the healing stage right now, but then I also maybe I'm just right where I need to be? Hope you get some positive movement forward soon. Hang in there.

I started soft foods at week 5. I ate scrambled eggs & omelettes, slow cooked soups & casseroles, flaky fish, mince dishes, yoghurt, rolled oats, …. I was able to eat most meats as long as they were moist & pull apart tender. Take it slowly & try different things to see if you’re ready for them. If you struggle with them one week try them again in a week or two.

You guys were spot on at the week mark post surgery I felt a million times better. Hope everyone else is going well and recovering.

All parts of your brain are spot on. The idea of feeling better in your own skin and being healthier is appealing. It *IS* possible to do it without surgery. Up to a massive 3% of morbidly obese people actually accomplish lasting weight loss without surgery. I wasn't one of the 3%. For years I got bigger and bigger with the belief I could do it through diet and exercise. I finally admitted I couldn't. Fearing the unknown is a waste of time and energy. Commit to dealing with whatever comes, period. So many people speak of regretting surgery because of pain in the first few weeks post-op. Consider problems as the cost of getting from here to there. Every fear you have has an answer. Do research on your fears. Knowledge is power. Every problem you encounter in the first weeks or months post-op are simply the price of admission. Problems will teach you to listen to your surgery teaching you to live again. Good luck, Tek

I think you just have to go at the pace you heal. I was able to go from sips, to mouthfuls within about two weeks post surgery, and while I'm nowhere near guzzling a glass, at 6 weeks post I can now easily gulp three good mouthfuls at a time, which puts me at about 50 ounces per day. Increasing a little each day helped me.

Going in on the 15th. Started my pre-op diet earlier this week. Very excited but beyond nervouse

I'm 3 weeks out from gastric bypass surgery. Weight loss has stalled.

Hi Its been a year since my WLS and I am roughly a stone / 14lbs away from my goal. I have been a slow loser, there are times I have slipped up which lasted for weeks, due to changes in my life. However when I am consistent about my eating, weight loss widely varies. All I do is make sure I eat around 700 calories a day. The content of the food is mostly carbs / processed food, but it keeps me happy. I dont monitor my water intake but I do drink alot of tea / coffee. I also dont take vitamins or supplements as I hate swallowing pills, but I suspect that has an effect on my energy levels. Dinner is my main meal , so doing physical activity before that is difficult. Also....I know u cant eat and drink at the same time. But for half of the year, I ve not been leaving a 20 min gap between food and drink. Mostly because of time constraints (work) and yeah laziness. This is definetly gonna stretch my stomach inthe long run right? So any tips to improve weight loss is appreciated, thanks.

I'm feeling better with each passing day. Surgery was on the 1st, I was released the next morning. Day 3, my largest incision is still pretty sensitive. I cannot cough to clear my throat or else I'm in a good amount of pain. It feels like I'm going to rupture my incision. 😳 I can swallow Tylenol capsules and liquids with little-to-no issue. I am on a 7 day clear liquid diet post-op. At my one week check-up next week I will be able to transition to full liquids including protein shakes and malt-o-meal/grits (which I'm really looking forward to!!😛). Right now, it's just apple and cranberry juice, water, tea, broth, and sugar free jello. I've also been walking around and up and down stairs. There is minor pain when ambulating, but it's tolerable. I showered the first day home with no issues. I would say so far so good! 🙌

I had exactly the same thoughts... if I can drop this weight like this during the pre-op diet, why can't I just... continue? But I couldn't have, and I talked to my surgeon's staff about it. The pre-op diet (not that I had one necessarily, I put myself on it so I didn't go from nought to sixty in one day) is meant to be a crash diet. It is meant to shrink things and get a little visceral fat off you so that it's safer to do laparoscopic surgery. It is not sustainable long-term without surgery, and it is not meant to be. The other thing is—all or nearly all of us have binge-eaten in our past. Whether we have a healthy or unhealthy relationship with food, we've all overindulged. Well, after surgery, you literally CAN'T binge... and, bizarrely enough, most people don't WANT to. The first time you take ONE BITE too much, you will really feel that restriction and the resulting sensations (for me, it's massive chest pressure, and terrible gas that causes me to spit up) will make sure you learn what "full" feels like. I was a pizza eater. I could demolish an entire pizza myself in one sitting, because once I started I couldn't stop. Yesterday (just over 7 weeks post-op) I delivered pizza to my daughter's dress rehearsal, opened up the box, took a slice, had one bite, shrugged, and threw the rest of the slice away. It's like my body's been given this tool and it is forcing my brain to reckon with how I eat/ate. I wish I had found this site and gone for this surgery ten or more years ago. When I was nervous about the surgery—I had exactly the same thoughts as you—my family reminded me that I had tried REALLY hard, and never gotten below 330, then gained it all back until I was two cheeseburgers shy of 400 lbs. I went below that 330 mark 13 days after surgery. I'm now closing in on TWOsday, and I honestly feel like a different (and happier) person. Ultimately, only you can make the decision, but I think you'll find the ratio of yeasayers to naysayers here at BariatricPal to be massively tilted in the "yes do it" direction.

Took the surgeon, one visit. After he submitted paperwork, it took my insurance about 3 weeks. I messaged you ^^

Congratulations! I had surgery on the 1st and you're absolutely right! The first few swallows of liquid are extremely UNCOMFORTABLE! 😣 At three days out- some sips are better than others. I get this bottleneck feeling where the liquid sits and then all of a sudden fizzles down into my stomach... It's taking some getting use to...

I started telling a few people like brother-in-law and sis-in-law. I don't have the strength for secrets right now. They ask for too much creativity, lol. I'm not posting it on Facebook or anything, but my husband will be off work and his brother and his dad both stop by there; it would be hard for him not to give an explanation of why he's off for two weeks or not available for other things. I don't want to hear anyone's crap, either. So it's a balance. If someone thinks I'd hang in on a program for 1 year wait, drink liquids for 2 weeks for something that I hadn't thought through, that's their problem.

It really is an interesting topic... I have a friend who is sharing with everyone (coworkers, friends, strangers, you name it 😆) and I'm the complete opposite. I agree with you 100%! I do not need any validation from those around me- the same way I didn't need any pressure or negativity while overweight and considering my options. I received the sleeve just three days ago! I'm slowly but surely feeling better physically and happy with my decision. Like you, this wasn't as drastic as a decision for me like others may feel. Nonetheless, it was the right decision for me at the right time and I'm looking forward to this journey of good health and feeling my best!

Yep, I'm on Salpraz for the next 6 months. And nope, didn't do a breath test. He checked me out and is confident it's ulcers and swelling around my stoma. If it doesn't clear up with a week on the drugs, he'll reassess.

My 3 week stall happens to coincide with my menstrual cycle - oh joy 😕