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I don't think my cat is impressed with my new lifestyle as he sits in front of the oven expecting to be served food however I don't think I have used my oven more than twice in the year since my op, now it is air fryer or slow cooker if cooking. Guess he misses his oven cooked chicken 😂 I know he missed me (his servant) while I was in hospital for so many months with my post-op complications as he has been so affectionate and chatty since I was finally released last November. For weeks I felt he would go into panic mode if I grimaced and had a bit of pain but I presume he was just afraid I would not be home to serve him!

I am struggling terribly with eating. I am 8wks post-op and did ok with food stages in the first few weeks. I now have been cleared to eat what I want within guidelines. My problem is that I am just not hungry most of the time. When I am hungry it seems like everything just tastes gross. Or the thought of eating anything makes me feel queasy. I did talk to my team and they reassured me that its not terribly uncommon until around 3 months out, and to just keep trying foods and supplement with shakes to get protein, I am doing great getting fluids and taking all my vitamins but food is just a struggle. I can tolerate most things I have tried (except bananas for some reason) so I don’t think it’s anything structurally wrong bo pain or vomiting or anything like that. I just dont have the desire to eat. Its like I have an aversion to food!! I absolutely can not stand the thought of eggs anymore. Or cottage cheese because I ate so much of it during soft foods. Salty food are too much so even soup has been off putting. Im not a sweets person so protein puddings and smoothies really aren’t my thing though I will make smoothies as a quick and easy meal but I cant drink them every day because its just too sweet. I didn’t really have a dependency on food, just made terrible choices. so I dont really crave anything either. Its just so weird and I am so lost on what to try. Meal prep is a flop because I make foods and then dont want to eat them and end up throwing most of it away.

Thank you so much for this perspective! You're absolutely right—losing almost 4 pounds a week is something I’ve never been able to achieve on any diet before, so I should really appreciate that. It’s so easy to get caught up in the numbers, but you’ve reminded me that the mental work is just as important as the physical. I need to let go of the comparisons and focus on my own journey. I'm definitely guilty of stepping on the scale too often, so I’ll try to step back from that. Also, hearing that the gym has made you feel so good is really encouraging! I’m excited to start building a routine and hopefully experience that same boost in energy and mood. Thanks again for the advice and for helping me keep things in perspective. I really appreciate it!

I've been on a stall for 4 months now !!! It sure is disappointing to have that happen. It's like doing all that work and not one acknowledgement from the scale ! I put the scale away and focused on other things - like being able to walk without gasping for air I also measured myself - and even though I'm not losing weight , I lost 15" ! So there's that ! I also talked to my doc about it , and she told me to go back on my presurgery liquid diet for a week or two. She also suggested changing up my proteins to see if that helps. I'm still experimenting with her advice . Don't let the stall get you down ! Good luck with everything

I have trouble getting in enough veg or fruits right now. I was trying to force myself to get some lettuce (romaine or iceberg) and use them as lettuce wraps once or twice a week, but I don't eat enough of the head to make it worth it before it goes bad. My nutritionist has been telling me that 'fresh is best' -- but also that the best veg to eat is whatever veg you do eat. (in other words -- it doesn't matter how good something might be for you if you don't end up eating it, lol). I have a small can of low sodium V8 twice a week, and try to throw some frozen veg in with my protein -- spinach, broccoli florets, green beans. Bell peppers. I used to heavily dislike bell peppers, but after my surgery I love them -- steamed or on the barbecue.

Hi everyone! I have my surgery date scheduled for the 16th of March 2024. Due to a high BMI of 61 I have to do 4 weeks of the liver shrinkage diet. I started on Friday the 16th and I'm really struggling. I'm on total meal replacement shakes x 3 daily with just sugar free squash and water to drink alongside these. My total intake per day is 800 calories or less. How did you guys do it? I know I HAVE to do it, but it's so hard. I cry daily because I'm hungry and I want food. My stomach constantly growls, my stomach hurts and the shakes never feel like they satisfy any of that hunger. My partner is so supportive, he eats away from me and hides food so I don't feel any further distress and jealousy. I know why I'm doing this but I don't know how I'm expected to do this for a whole 4 weeks. Any advice or support is welcome. If anyone is doing the same atm for their March surgery please let me know, maybe we can buddy up! Thank you all ❤️ xKirstenx

I thought I was so ready to get the fluids in before surgery, but it is a lot harder than I thought! Getting easier. Today is the best I’ve felt in 2 weeks.

Surgery twin! I found a lot of soft/pureed recipes on Pinterest and TikTok. My surgeon had me on a clear liquid diet post op for 3 days and then I was able to start soft/pureed. Soups and jello were my go to initially. You got this! I’d say to wait a few minutes after your first bite to see how you handle it

@Singingbarista just wanted to check in and see how you’re doing? Only 2 more days till our surgery date! I’m nervous and excited, you? I’m not sure about anyone else, but this is the 1st day of my 2 week liquid diet (day 12) that I haven’t craved solid food. But I still don’t trust myself to go to the grocery store, I’m having my groceries delivered lol. It’s weird but I didn’t have a Pre-Op appointment… did anyone else not have to do one? I thought it was strange but it’s been a long time since I’ve had to go under the anesthesia.

Hi everyone, My 3-month mark was January 27th, 2024 for RNY. I was cleared to eat regular food in the normal way (not liquid, puree) 2 days before Christmas. I just had my labs done today, and my 3-month checkup with the clinic is on Feb 12th, where we will go over labs and diet expectations. So I will know more then. From my highest weight, I have lost 61lbs/27.69k so far, since surgery on October 27th I have lost 39lbs/17.69k. I feel like I should have lost more, but I am right on track. I was exercising at the gym 6 days a week since mid-November, up until 2 weeks ago when I got snowed in. I am hoping to get back to the gym tomorrow, but I am overwhelmed looking for a new job/career change and I would like to move to Nevada. I have noticed that the exercise seems to help me with the weight coming off and I have been building muscle too, especially in my arms and legs (most excited about arms). I take full body measurements every month on the 27th. I started doing this the day before surgery in October and I have found it very encouraging, especially since I struggle with feeling I should have lost more. I would suggest everyone do this, there are some great cheap templates you can download from Etsy. The first month after surgery I lost 0lbs, nothing and I was super upset, how can no weight come off when all you get to eat is protein shakes, and it's a struggle to get them down? So I guess I hit my stall right out the gate. My surgery did go very well. I only stayed one night in the hospital, and I was eager to get home, I did throw up the entire time after surgery (that day and the next day) but I did not have pain or gas and I was able to walk around easily. TMI but I did start my period the day before surgery, so FYI bring your own pads to the hospital, the ones they have are terrible, and no you can't use a cup or tampons. I will let you know how my lab report turns out and what they tell me on February 12th. Oh and anyone living in Las Vegas or Henderson NV and can help with a job, that would be awesome I have a bachelor's in Business Management with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship, and I can learn to do anything quickly, but I would need to make enough to afford an apartment on my own. (it's worth a try)

Hello @BigDane looks like we Will be pretty much be going through the stages together. How is the preop diet going? I was told by the nurse that since he didn’t mention a preop diet I just needed to do a two day liquid diet but last time he had me do a week long liver shrink diet first. I’m just going to do that to be safe. The smaller the liver is the safer the surgery is with the added bonus it’s less weight to lose after.

Them tests and being off PPi’s for a week do not sound like fun. Hopefully all that is a means to an end, though and you get scheduled for your revision very soon.

Yes it is very normal. Do not get discouraged. Remember your body just went through a major surgery and it will take time to adjust to such rapid weight loss. This is normal throughout the process and won't just be one time. Stalls and small fluctuations are par for the course. You have lost a major amount already and you've just begun. Keep in mind that it's not 5lbs of fat gained. It can be anything from water retention from a little more sodium and/or carbs or not having had a BM or something else. Further in when you're actively working out, it can be muscle gain. Your hormones and internal system are trying to find their place and rebalance. Stick to the program and if you weigh everyday, try not to for awhile if it makes you anxious or gets you down. It will move again. Also if you haven't already, take measurements and pictures. A lot of the changes can happen that are non scale related you'd be surprised.

Most of the time. The crackers were an Amazon fresh deal. Normally like $4something a box but on sale 2 for $5 and there’s a promo for spend $35 get $10 off. Which goes before the 2 for $5 sale price. The ones I bought weren’t all that $4.69 pre sale price so I ended up with 10 boxes of different kinds for $15. Example pictures show 8 of the same kind for $10. The broths were also an Amazon fresh deal of buy one get one free with a normal price of $1.69 each. Other Amazon fresh items- green grapes 3lbs for 1.99, tortillas $.98, 12ct english muffins $1.35, hot dog buns $.97, coleslaw mix $1.89, tofu $1.52, and Parmesan cheese had a 50% off coupon making it $3.14 I still use the Flashfood app for most of my produce so that’s where the strawberries ($.50 each), cucumbers ($.30 each) and eggplant, avocado, and peppers ($3 bag) came from. They do apply a service fee but for my order it was only $.38 Kroger was the red grapes ($.89/lb), eggs ($1.99/18ct), and potatoes (1.88). meijer and Aldi were the rest of it with discounted produce at Meijer. The pink bottle thing is strawberry daiquiri tea which came from Aldi’s aisle of shame. 😂

I had my consultation and my psych eval. I’m just waiting on my recommendation letter from my pcp and because I already see a therapist, they had to also write a brief note. Assuming they come back positive, I’m cleared to move to the next phase. Which that is getting a letter sent to my insurance for approval of my surgery. Once it’s approved I can move to the pre surgery blood work. I do hope they get their letters in this week!

@ms.sss I do love an ice-breaker 😂 must be the manager in me 😅 That sounds so nice - I have never tried lobster before but I am dying to! I am rather impressed that you had to open and clean it yourself, very skilled haha. It is a shame you had to miss out on yoga, but definitely for the best after eating the lobster! Hope the rest of your week is good

I need to rant a little! I have always struggled with excess weight in my adult life. Over the years I tried Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig, my own thing, you name it. For the past 8 years I have been struggling to lose 50-60 lbs. It was extremely difficult for me to lose anything at all unless I severely limited calories - like 800, 900 per day - which I could only do with the help of prescription medicines. When I'd stop taking them the weight would come back despite that fact that I was rarely overeating, usually around 1500 calories per day. Over the years I gained and lost the same weight this way. I took Contrave, but it hyped me up so badly I couldn't stand it. I took Belviq, which worked well - I didn't care if I ate or not so it was easy to consume so few calories, but it was taken off the market. I used Qysmia, which also worked the same way. I lost 30 lbs, but I was paying out of pocket and couldn't afford it any more. One of my issues is that I lose weight VERY slowly, and it was frustrating to work so hard and lose a pound or 2 a month. After gaining all the weight back plus 10 more pounds in 2 years, I knew I could lose it again by getting back on Qysmia but I couldn't bear the thought of the "yoyo" again. I'm 67 and have diabetes and heart disease in my family, which I was afraid of developing if I didn't take and keep the weight off. I'm on blood pressure and cholesteroI meds already. I can't play with a yoyo any longer at this point in my life and so I began to consider sleeve gastrectomy. I researched and thought about it for a long time before finally having surgery 1/24/24. Yesterday it was 4 weeks since surgery. In the 1st 2 weeks I lost 10 lbs. While I hoped to lose more, this was a good result because before surgery it would have taken me about 6 months to lose 10 lbs. Victory!! Or so I thought. Since then, however, I haven't lost any weight. I've read about the 3 week stall, which I guess is what I am experiencing. I think I get it. And at the same time I am enormously frustrated and sometimes find myself thinking that I made this drastic and permanent change in my life only to have the same result - consuming very little calorically and the weight just not coming off. Except now I'm consuming even fewer calories (still on purees). And on top of that, I am hungry almost all day. After breakfast, I wait 15 minutes and start on water/fluids again. Fifteen minutes after that, I am hungry again. And yes, it's genuine hunger - with growling and an empty feeling. Eating 1/4 cup of food is not filling me up. I am getting usually around 70g of protein each day in what I'm eating and drinking, so it's not that. I had some wild expectations, I'll admit. My doctor gave me a goal weight that requires me to lose 50 lbs. (60 for a "stretch" goal). I (crazily) thought that it would take about 2 months to lose that much. I've since realized that with relatively little to lose it will go slower, but geez! For who knows what reason, I also thought I would hardly ever be hungry. Five days post op, natural hunger returned. I was mad! And surprised, but I relied on this forum and learned that hunger was still normal. I thought once I could actually eat something it would be more like "normal" hunger - like before surgery - when it was about time to eat. Instead I find that I am often just hungry all day (usually worse at night) and the amount I'm eating isn't enough. I eat the recommended 2 oz of food and I never feel full, but I stop because that is the recommended amount. The instructions I've been given have implied that this should be more than enough to fill me at this point and that I might not even be able to finish that much, but it hasn't been the case for me. In 30 minutes or so, it's like I didn't eat anything and I'm hungry again. Of course I realize that a lot of my problem is my unrealistic expectations. But sometimes I do feel frustrated that I did this drastic thing only to have nothing change - I still can't lost weight. Mostly, reason prevails and I know that sooner or later the weight has got to come off. Reason is reassuring for the mental issue I have here, but reason does nothing to help the hunger. Ok, rant over. Does anyone have experience like this? Very slow loss and constant hunger? Does the weight loss pick up? How long does the 3 week stall last? Does the hunger ever return to normal? Help!!

It has been a while since a maintenance mega thread has been created. Can we share how things are going? For everyone officially maintaining vs losing, please share: 1. Pre op weight, BMI or measurements 2. Surgery type 3. Lowest post op weight, BMI or measurements and when it occurred 4. Maintenance weight, BMI or measurements and when it occurred 5. Bounces (up or down) in weight, BMI or measurements and when they occurred 6. Methods used to maintain and what has/has not worked 7. How your life has changed (losing vs maintaining perspective) 8. Words of wisdom/cautionary tales/stories of beating the odds Thanks!

How are you feeling now? It's been a while since you posted and I'm hoping you're doing better. You should be...what...about 5 weeks post op now. Have things improved?

I don't think they do either, my partner is supportive and told me his attraction for me has not left. I asked if he preferred me heavier and he didn't say a peep. I followed up with, well I am not changing, because this is the new me and our kids deserve a mom who is healthy, not a mom who is 300lbs with a climbing weight and cannot keep up with them. He agreed, he just said its different. He met me heavier so me NOW is super new. We had to have a very very long talk, and its continuous but we have been working through it. I think the first 3-4months were the hardest, I lost weight really quick and it was a really big shock to everyone but especially him who touches me and all the things. Intimacy lacked for a bit, So I would agree that keeping that transparency is so important, also being selfish is important too right now.

I finally bit the bullet and bought some new clothes today. I was quite apprehensive as I genuinely didn't know what size I would be, so I had my boyfriend with me who doubles up as my stylist 😂 I went into New Look - which I wouldn't have even dreamt of doing pre-surgery - and just asked him to pick some things for me. He picked 3 coats (I currently have none that fit me, and it is getting cold here in the UK!), a skirt, and a cropped jumper. I was trying to insist that I would need a size UK 18-20 (which is a US 14-16 I think?), but he was adamant that I needed a UK 12-14 (US 8-10?)...I tried them on in the sizes he suggested, and they FIT. I genuinely didn't believe it, like I don't think I have been this size since 2017/18...my brain can't actually see it or even compute with it. Before surgery I was a UK 22, more of a 24 in most things if I am honest. Just can't believe it yet. Does anyone else get like this?! But I am riding a high today, I feel good, and I am still in shock 😂

So by this time next week you will be post-op My surgery was 4th July last year and even though I am not American I consider it my Independence Day as it was the first day of a new and improved, as in happier and healthier, me but it has taken me many months of recovery and work to get where I am so far, surgery is certainly not the easy option some people think (as in those who don't need it). The coming weeks and months will be a learning curve so don't put unnecessary pressure on yourself, don't compare your losses to others as everyone is different and just most importantly be kind to yourself. That I think is what I have come away with most from the last year, I take time for myself when needed, I say no to things I don't want to do rather than try to make everyone else happy as I used to in the past, I listen to my body more when it says it needs a walk/fresh air or rest, I speak up for myself more and I am really trying not to let the little things stress me out as I am very much a person who always felt the need to be in control (even if it was control of overeating etc.). If you haven't done so already I recommend taking your measurements and some pictures today or tomorrow so you have something to look back on in the coming months and years to see how well you do.

hi Christine. I find the reverse is just as true too. Where the most commonly experienced effects of surgery just aren’t shared with patients by their team. How many post do we see from people upset, depressed & frustrated about stalls, hair loss, foamies, etc. Though I know there could be things missed simply because there is so, so much information we’re given & have to absorb. I do advocate sticking to the plan given to you by your team but we know there is no one size fits all (in life, clothing or plans). If something isn’t working for you, ask for alternatives, other options or suggestions as to what you can do or eat or drink, etc. Take suggestions & experiences people offer here & ask your team if you could try them. They’re supposed to know you & are best placed to advise what will support you without compromising your recovery or progress. Hope your upcoming surgery is successful & everything is put back to where it’s supposed to be. PS - Fellow teacher here too - well was one of my careers. What year levels or subjects did you teach? Congrats on your retirement.

Dont feel pressured to share your personal life. I too have struggled with what to tell coworkers, boss, etc…. I also said i have a hernia (not lying) and i just need some time to take care of myself. I have only told 3 people outside of my immediate family. (So max 7 people) when you are ready you will know. I feel it is a deeply personal lifelong struggle. When i am ready to celebrate it will first be with the people who know and love me now.

Definitely try and get some sleep! 😂 This is definitely the case! I know myself that I need to focus a little bit more on my water intake - then hopefully I shall feel a bit more energy! I have been back to the gym in the last week and started walking more, and I will be having a personal trainer come the 1st August so I know I am going to be putting my weight loss & health first! Which is surprisingly exciting haha.