Search the Community

Wow! You're doing great with your weight loss. Congratulations. I hope they can help you get some better energy though! I'll have a good day, energy-wise and then a sluggish day and I'm not sure exactly what causes it. As another May 12th surgery "twin" just told me, I am on week 3 (not week 4) which with my dietician is the "soft texture" phase. I guess I jumped the gun a bit I'd say I'm sticking pretty much to it, though I ate some things over the weekend that weren't totally soft until I'd chewed them to liquid. I struggle to come up with things that sound good. It is so strange that now that I can have food other than protein shakes, I can't think of anything appealing. Since the gagging and nausea this morning over that scrambled egg, I feel a little hesitant about experimenting. Keep up the good work!

No worries about scaring me Thank you for sharing your experience, and sorry to hear it was so rough! I hope that the nausea and such get better for you, and that you can get to a point where you feel healthy and happy with your weight, and your new eating habits. No pre-op diet was definitely a new one to me, but I suppose people don't really need help with a whole lot if they don't have to do pre-op dieting. It does provide a bit of comfort that I'm not the only one who doesn't have to do one. My surgeon also does pureed foods on day 2 through the first month, which was uncommon as well. While the surgeon is highly experienced and highly rated for the area, seeing such a drastic difference in both pre-op and post-op treatment was leaving me a little anxious. Rational me knows the hospital isn't gonna tell me to do anything purposefully harmful. It's just hard to ignore all the other info out there and question what I should or shouldn't be doing.

We bought a sleep number in Feb 2020. The best bed I’ve ever owned. I’ve noticed I need a lower number as I lose weight.

They did not make me do a pre op diet either. I was told not to lose any weight or I wouldn't qualify for the surgery. At the time I weighed 216, at surgery I weighed 205. I had the surgery mainly because I was a bad diabetic. I couldn't lose weight on my own. I also had thyroid issues, and a ton of other medical problems. I had the bypass and my recovery was not easy. I was very sick for the 1st few months. I lost 40 lbs. in the 1st month alone. I couldn't eat anything or even drink water without being sick. I had to go on a script of nausea patches that you wear behind your ear. Finally in months 2-3 I could tolerate a small amount of cream of wheat and drink peppermint tea. The months after I had a very hard time eating anything more than a few bites of food. I am still having this problem now. I am 9 months out and down to 130 lbs. and look sickly. I am trying to put some weight back on because I am so skinny. Not trying to scare you, just telling my story. Good Luck

Just got off the phone with my nutritionist and she didn't help me at all. For those of you who have been following my posts, you know I had some questions for her. I asked her if I had to keep drinking 8 cups of water per day and let her know that I had to cut down to 6 because I get way too full even at this stage (9 months out), and then can't eat, and am losing more weight and can not maintain. Her answer was "Yes you have to drink 8 cups (64 oz.) of water per day". Then I asked if other liquids count towards the goal. Her answer was, "Yes, and you have to drink 8 cups of water per day also." Well that makes no sense. I then asked what could I do to gain a few lbs. Her answer was to "drink full fat milk, eat nuts, Peanut Butter or Almond Butter". I told her that I eat those things everyday, but can not drink milk due to lactose intolerance. Then she says, "Ok so eat yogurt, cottage cheese, and cheese". I told her that I can not do that because those things are dairy. So then she tells me to drink whole milk, instead of my almond milk. By now I am ready to start yelling at her. I know she wasn't paying attention to me. Then she tells me to eat more often, so I tell her that I already eat 5-6 times a day to which she tells me that I should be eating 5-6 times a day. LOL I give up. WTF lady? She also told me I should be having more protein so I tell her about my constipation issues and that I already eat 90-100 grams of protein a day. I let her know that the doc says I need to cut back a little bit on this, and she tells me that I should be drinking protein water. OMG!! Whatever. So now I am just going to have to do it my way, and see whatever works for me. I am going to cut back my water intake to 4 cups a day so I am not so full, and hopefully can eat more. I also will cut my protein down. I don't know what else to do at this point. I need to be able to eat more so I can put some weight back on. Any advice would be wonderful. Thanks

that "stair step" pattern is a pretty common weight loss pattern as far as "full" - I never feel "full" in the way I did before surgery. Early out, your nerves, some of which were cut during surgery, have to regenerate before your stomach starts talking to your brain again, so you might not feel hunger or fullness. Those sensations eventually return for most of us, but fullness, especially can feel different. I never feel "full" the same way as I did pre-surgery. Now, my fullness cue is discomfort in my chest -- kind of a pressure-like feeling. When I feel that, I know it's time to stop, or I'll end up getting sick. You'll figure out your cues after awhile - but they may be different than before (for some people, a runny nose is their cue, oddly...) I've never had any issue with diarrhea that I can remember. Maybe you've developed a sensitivity to a certain type of food? Some people become lactose intolerant after surgery - or at least temporarily (or for some, permanently) - and some of the artificial sweeteners (especially those with names ending in -itol) have that effect. it's doubtful you stretched your stomach. You'd have to chronically overstuff it for that - day after day of overeating. From what I understand, stretching one's stomach isn't very common.

In the beginning when I started to eat I would feel my pouch fill up, now I don't. I was wondering if it was the soft foods or I was afraid I stretched my stomach already. Weight loss stalls then goes then stalls. Then my stomach will act up and I need immodium or I can't leave home. Just frustrated but I guess it's normal. Just wanted to see what anyone else's thoughts /experiences were. Bypass was done 4/14

My program says 2oz of yogurt, oatmeal or cream of wheat, 4oz of soups. And I think for puree it's similar mostly 2oz portions and some up to 4oz but I can't recall the specifics and don't have my book on hand. I know in general they don't want us to exceed 6oz at a meal. And its ounces by volume not weight.

I only had one - about four years ago. All i wanted to know was how much more weight i could realistically lose, and the answer was... none. So at that point i had a good idea of a realistic range for me. Insurance doesn't cover them. They do for the kind you get at doctors offices when they check for osteoporosis, but that's all those give you... your bone density. To find out your body composition ( eg, percentage of fat), you have to go to a sports lab (some universities have then) or one of those commercial places like DEXAFit. I think the scans run around $100-150. They may be cheaper at a university, but I'm not sure To find a commercial one, just Google DEXAscan for your city. For universities, you'll probably have to go the university's web site to see if they offer that

If the containers are bigger than you are supposed to use, just use a measuring cup to put in what you are supposed to eat rather than filling up the entire container. Like a quarter cup is 2 oz by volume (not by weight).

I tidy things up. I started having a woman come clean my apartment every few weeks recently, and it has made me really happy because it used to bother me how gross it was, but I couldn't get myself to "deep clean". Now I actually enjoy keeping it tidy and it makes me happy to have a beautiful home. But you might find actually cleaning to be a good way to distract yourself - many people do. I just found it frustrating, although I love putting things away. I like looking at cute animal pictures and videos online. I like reading junky books or watching trashy TV (although I avoid anything with commercials because they're always about junk food). I like throwing things out or donating things - it feels like I'm losing metaphorical weight, the weight of unwanted objects. I joined a Buy Nothing Project on Facebook and I've given so much away on there. Crafting is great, but can be expensive if there's a lot of supplies to buy. But it can keep your hands busy and away from food! I will call up a friend to see if they want to go for a walk.

I'm curious as to why you chose the balloon rather than a surgery that has a longer track record or is likely to cause more weight loss? Not trying to judge; maybe 100kg is a good weight for you, I can't see your stats/BMI. I know that my surgery center only does RNY and sleeve because they have the most evidence of safety and effectiveness. I hope you get the results you want!

I read somewhere on this forum that your "goal weight" picks you. I believe (or hope) that some of that is true. My original goal is 220 and now that I'm closing in on that, I'm definitely approaching this open minded. I've spoke about this with others and I firmly believe that if I were to stay where I'm at now, I'd be very grateful. I feel better than I did when I was 30 and I'm 51 now. The one thing that does bother me is the "charts" say that I'm still obese even though my labs and overall health stipulate otherwise.

I am glad to hear that you are doing well. I am on week 5 post op and still introducing foods back into my diet—I don’t have carte blanche the way you do, though! I think it is interesting how doctors’ offices are so different. This week I am on shaved deli meat, cheese, and turkey chili, and melba toast/saltines. LOL! I agree with you on taking it slow and trying one food at a time. Eggs did not bother me at first, but now they do. I had to take anti-nausea meds for the first time since week one because of a scrambled egg! I have also found that certain foods make me gag—yogurt, cottage cheese, and fish! I am so disappointed in losing 4 quality means of protein because they just are not palatable! I also find that I can’t eat much. I certainly can’t drink a whole protein shake in one sitting—I have to drink 1/2 in the am and the other 1/2 in the pm. I find I struggle with getting enough protein. It is my #1 goal right now—get 80 grams of protein a day! I am barely getting 50. I have lost 31 lbs since the beginning and 20 lbs since surgery. I go for my 6 week check-up next week. I am so excited for next week because fruits and vegetables return. I cannot wait! I don’t reach any food I want until Week 12! I am still tired—I try to walk every day, but I haven’t made it to the gym yet. That is my 2nd goal—go to gym 3x a week. All in all—I am doing well. Still learning how to navigate Tiny Tummy, but so much happier when I look in the mirror! One more pound, and I will be in the 180s! 31lbs down and 50 to go, but my first small weight goal is 185!

@SummerTimeGirl I'm sorry it's so rough right now. It's awesome that your husband is so supportive! Please keep us posted on how you're doing. @Elahnen Sorry it's so rough to be left out, glad your husband was supportive too! I spent the weekend with my semi-ex-boyfriend who is skinny as a rail and he's being super supportive of my trying to lose weight in preparation for my upcoming surgery (no date yet 😞) . We walked and walked and walked and he supported me as I left food on my plate sometimes.

I'm in Dallas, but when I was researching surgeons, I came upon a great group in SA. Sage Bariatric. One of their doctors has a YouTube channel and I've really enjoyed his videos. John Pilcher. Not sure if he's connected to your weight loss center. Good luck!

Is anyone here in the San Antonio area & going through the Methodist Metropolitan Weight Loss Center??? My Dr is leaving at the end of June & IDK what to do. I am hoping to be scheduled for my Gastric Sleeve by June 22nd ish. Do I change Doctors so I have the same one through Post Op etc...? Or keep the one I currently have?? Sent from my LM-Q730 using BariatricPal mobile app

Best thing is no more GERD/ Acid Reflux! Worst thing is I can't think of is the wrinkles in my face from all the weight loss. I have no issues personally with dumping and can eat anything without any issues except ice cream. I can only eat a very little amount of ice cream (candies too) or I will pay a price with stomach/colon pains and uncomfortable heart rates but I never throw up and I think that may be because of a hiatal hernia repair that my body just won't throw up even when I want it too. I am almost 8 months post op and have lost 21 lbs more with the roux en x bypass and after a couple of months stall and just now starting weight training in a gym am starting to see the scale moving once again. I am only 4lbs from my goal. I am sure my lose skin weighs about this, LOL... But I am happy just not having the GERD or Acid reflux and so it has all been very worth it!

RNY here. I never had any issues, either. Some of us don't. Consider yourself lucky! (btw - not having issues won't affect your weight loss as long as you follow your surgeon's plan. I lost 100% of my excess weight)

Best thing.....NO MORE ACID REFLUX Worst thing.....Dumping Surgery 10/29/2020 @ 187 lbs. Weight loss since surgery..... 52 lbs. That's also a BEST THING! Since my surgery was for the stomach/esophagus issues, the weight loss has been a bonus! After the sleeve, I had a banana sized stomach. Now I have a golf ball sized stomach. The remainder of my stomach and my duodenum (upper most part of my upper intestine) is still inside, the duodenum is just connected further down into my ilium (lowest part of the upper intestine). So in the revision, nothing is taken out like with the sleeve. The digestive track is just rerouted to bypass the stomach and duodenum. I hope that makes sense.

I sometimes worry about the same thing. I had very little pain post surgery and no issues with getting liquids or protein, no issues with purée or soft foods. I have tolerated everything I have eaten so far. No nausea, vomiting, nothing. I sometimes worry that the lack of these things will make the surgery less successful for me. But at 12 weeks post op, I have lost 40 pounds (total) and I am a lower BMI so it is working... just a little slower than for some. I think this is because I can consume more food than most at this stage. I have heard veterans that continued losing for almost two years so I think the weight will come off within that time frame it just may take the full two years to get there.

So its been interesting reading so many people saying bad things about the gastric balloon, because for me, even though its very early days, it is going really well. I have lost 8kg since my procedure on May 21st (starting weight 134.9kg which I think is just under 300 pounds?, height 5'6), I am, as advertised, not hungry at all, and while the first week I was cramping somewhat, I haven't vomited or had any nausea at all. I haven't had any issues in the puree stage and am already finding some soft foods are okay too, though I do still feel more comfortable on liquids so I am dialing it back a bit and taking the transition slower as the fullness is hard to (lol) stomach. Speaking of stomachs, even though I intellectually knew better, I think my mind always associated my stomach with my belly, so intestinal pains or discomfort sometimes translated as hunger pains for me I think. I have never been so aware of my actual stomach before and I think that's hugely important to learning how to change my lifestyle going forward. I can hopefully do a better job listening to my hunger and fullness cues because this balloon is taking me to actually listen to the right body part! I wonder if this is something anyone else has experienced as part of their bariatric weightloss journey? I must say I did a LOT of preparation in the lead up to my procedure, I created a folder with all the info I needed for my different stages, as well as recipe ideas, info about possible health issues and troubleshooting for anything that might come up, tracker sheets for water and medication, weight loss, exercise tips for recovery, measurements etc (like you might have in a bullet journal) and I am referring back to my folder and adding to it constantly - which is actually super fun and keeps me motivated! I got some info from my surgeon and dietician, as well as the usual orbera booklet (in digital form, so i printed only the relevant bits - why there are whole pages of slim people who have never needed to consider weight loss procedures in these things I will never know lol) and I also scoured the internets for resources from other hospitals, much of which is more aimed at surgical patients but is still really relevant for me. I think it's a mindfulness thing, because I find that adding to my folder is great way to keep my mind busy and get out of old habits (And I have cute stickers that I put in there too). I was an emotional eater all my life but recently I am realising I am also a boredom eater - so trying to replace those boredom triggers with other things is my main goal, sometimes I find myself even though I am FULL, thinking about eating something out of boredom so I am learning how best to divert my brain with new fun things. I think a lot of people go into the gastric balloon thinking is going to be a quick fix and obviously that isn't the case. Its a tool like any other. They say the average amount lost is around 15kg but as I am halfway there already, and I have at least a year of this, I am quietly hopeful that my goal is in reach ( I want to get below 100kg, so the total amount I want to lose is 35kg over the time I have this balloon). It's still early days for me but I feel hopeful. I can do this. Honestly I'm not sure if my lack of vomming is because I am being so careful with how much I have at once, or because I am tracking the medication and taking that regularly as a preemptive thing, or if I am just one of the lucky ones. Along with not being hungry (at ALL), I am not having any of my regular cravings. I tell people the fullness feels like.... say you stuffed yourself eating a huge meal then someone put a slice of chocolate mud cake in front of you and even though you KNOW it would taste good, the idea of even getting it near your mouth is the last thing you want. Or say you've had a big holiday dinner and now you need to go have a mid-afternoon nap to sleep it off. I feel like that almost all the time right now so there really is no room for temptation. I'm happy to talk about my experience with the balloon insertion, why and how I chose the balloon (and why Orbera), how I put my folder together, or generally answer any questions. And I hope to come back and update on my progress to help keep myself accountable. Sent from my SM-G965F using BariatricPal mobile app

I had my VSG 5/17. To date I have had no nausea, no vomiting, no pain or discomfort aside from what I think of as normal healing pains. I was upgraded to puree a couple days ago, and am having no issues with anything i've tried. I don't need to drink any protein shakes to get enough in. I am following the dietician's guidelines with what to eat, and how much, and I can always eat my whole 2oz, although I do feel full by the end. I do feel some hunger and I'm still having wicked cravings for some of the foods I had before but have not caved in yet. My concern is that all this is just going too smoothly, I see all these posts about people not being able to finish meals, nausea/vomiting's for weeks post op, and people really struggling with water and I'm concerned that I'm not going to have as much weight loss since its all been so easy here. I was 'hoping' for some of the n/v to help me curb my eating, and to help reinforce the habits i've learned before surgery. I'm worried. Anyone else post op experience similarly and what happened with yall?

I can tell you a large body impression can cause back problems. Our last few mattresses did not hold up to our weight. My husband is 6'10" and a big guy and when I was almost 400 pounds none of our mattresses lasted more than 2 years without getting large body impressions and we both had back pain. We bought a Big Fig mattress a couple years ago. It's is made for bigger people and it's has been amazing. There are no body impressions even on my husband's side. A good mattress definitely makes a difference! Sent from my Nokia 7.2 using BariatricPal mobile app

Seth here. I just had my VSG at UC Health's West Chester Hospital (University of Cincinnati). It was on the 28th. It went well, though the surgeon told me I had an odd shaped stomach. It went would more than a banana shape. He said it should make losing weight easier for me. I was in some pain on the surgery day. They gave me pain meds just after the surgery and later that night. I did not ask for any the next day. I got up and walked around the halls quite a bit. I also drank water only. I was discharged after one night. Currently, my incisions are still sore but I do not need any pain meds. Now I am just trying to figure out what my "Full" point is. I am so worried that I will bust my staples that I am probably being way too cautious. Today, I've had about 350 calories and almost 33oz of water. I am setting an alarm every 3 hours to try and drink more slim fast advanced nutrition. I also set a timer after I drink the protein shake to make sure I do not drink for an hour afterward. I am only drinking about 1/2 of the 11oz shakes over a 30 minute period. My program only allows liquid for the first month. On 2nd month we can move to puree. The 3rd month we can eat soft foods and on month 4 we can go back to eating anything that fits into our routine. I think this is the most restrictive after surgery out there.