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Thought I would give an update here. VSG was done 9/14/2021, today is 11/14/2021. THE GOOD: Down 55 lbs from surgery, 64 lbs from the start of the pre-op diet, and 94 lbs from my heaviest weight. Hypertension and asthma diagnoses were officially withdrawn. Hypogonadism is under review. CPAP average setting went from 16 cm H2O to about 7 cm. Have an appointment soon to see if I need it any more. Depression has almost completely been put in remission. Went from 52/34 to 36/34 in the same cut of jeans, and actually need to go see if they have 34/34 at the outlet. Went from 4XL or even 5XL shirts to L or XL (mostly XL). Went from 15EE boots to 12D; my arch has returned, which shocked my surgeon and my PCP. Running and enjoying it for the first time ever. Way too many NSVs to count THE BAD: Still occasional bouts of constipation which mess up scale results, but then it all, um, resolves and the number on the scale goes WHOOSH. Had to fire my NUT for being a horrible person. Found a new NUT who is amazing and who does the same fitness I do. The extremely restrictive diet (especially under the old NUT's "guidance") caused a massive drop in strength, which did not help at work. It also caused me to stall out. The new NUT increased my intake from 600-800 to 1000-1400 cals a day, and WHOOSH went the scale once again. It actually hurts to sit down because my butt is bony. I'm cold all the freaking time, even when it's objectively-by-any-sane-standard not cold. Needed a chiropractic adjustment because my hips are not used to carrying 25% less of me and were hurting badly. Had to replace expensive work boots because they were giving me blisters. Clothes I can get from the Goodwill and Ross Dress For Less; work boots not so much. THE UGLY: Eating too fast or even one bite too much means spending the next 30 minutes to an hour in great physical discomfort. It takes time for the full signal to arrive in my brain. Eating lettuce salad was, in hindsight, a really, really bad idea. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Some gnarly skin tags as my fat melts away, and the beginnings of some loose skin. Added in a daily dose of collagen peptides to help. One incision is still quite visible, though it's healed over. Starting to notice a little more hairfall, including head, beard, and chest. Still the best thing I've ever done for myself.

I'm 45, 6 feet tall, and started out at 396 my heaviest (was 366 at the start of the pre-op diet). I am very, very active. Outdoor work, sports, CrossFit. I did track my food and, like you, was on way more than 3,000 calories a day. Now, two months post-op, I am 94 pounds down from my heavy and 64 from the start of the pre-op diet. I eat more than most people—I take in between 1000 and 1400 calories a day, including up to 120 g of carbohydrates, which is unusual for bariatric patients. I am still in the fast-lose "honeymoon" period and am losing 3-5 pounds a week after the initial massive weight dump. And yet... I'm satisfied. Thriving, even. The only thing is the restricted amount means my strength isn't what it was—probably lost about 30% off my PR lifts. I don't really care, because now I can run, and jump, and my palms can touch the floor, and I'm off my meds. I do feel hunger when I haven't eaten in too long, but it's not the gnawing "feed me or I will make your life miserable" HANGRY feeling I would have had before. It's more like... "things are not right, please to be feeding me now." Here are a couple of typical days for me, all approved by my nutritionist: Meal 1: Fairlife Core Power protein shake Meal 2 (post-workout): Oatmeal with protein powder, a bit of maple syrup, blueberries, and raspberries Meal 3: Koussa (summer squash stuffed with ground meat and rice, braised in tomato sauce) Meal 4: Tuna salad on one of those little dense squares of European-style flat rye bread Meal 5: Collagen peptide protein and an apple ---- Meal 1: Fairlife Core Power protein shake Meal 2 (post-workout): Scrambled egg with a bit of cheese, spinach, and hot sauce Meal 3: Ground turkey with sugar-free Korean BBQ sauce, green beans, a bit of rice Meal 4: Skyr (Icelandic nonfat yoghurt) with raspberries Meal 5: Lentils with ham The biggest thing I had to teach myself was that it's okay to leave food on the plate, EVEN IF IT'S JUST ONE TINY BITE. Because the line between "I am full" and "debilitating nausea and acid reflux" is sometimes just that one single bite.

There are many factors that affect your rate of loss: age, gender, starting weight, genetics, etc. Some are slow losers others are fast losers to begin. The rate you lose doesn’t affect the amount of weight you will lose. There are slow losers who reach their goal & fast losers who don’t. Don’t worry too much about your weight loss immediately post surgery. You have swelling, possibly still retaining fluids, your body is under stress, etc. Some surgeons even advise not to weigh yourself for a couple of weeks after surgery because of this. There are a couple of things you can rely upon. We all lose at our own rate & your rate of loss will slow as you get closer to goal. Every pound you lose is a win. Congrats on your surgery.

My program refers to the entire 2-week thing as a "liquid diet," but part of the plan is a protein bar every day plus either a banana or 8oz of low-fat milk (for potassium). It becomes strictly liquid-only 2 days before surgery, though. For me, that will happen on Saturday. I love bananas, so that was an easy choice at first, but right now I'm desperate for any variety so I'll be switching to 1% milk this week. And they only provided 12 protein bars to begin with (smart bariatric center!), so I won't have to remember to stop eating them. I have my pre-op nutritionist appointment tomorrow morning, and Wednesday morning is the pre-op with my surgeon. I have a feeling this week will go by really fast!!

I'm 2 weeks post op gastric sleeve and was excited to start my scrambled eggs today and something very weird happened 30 minutes after eating my 1 scrambled egg. I got this feeling of being drunk (I've been drunk before but haven't had alcohol in 45 days). I got a high feeling, I was slurring my speech,I tried to wake up to go the bathroom and damn near staggered all the way. My husband was really worried but also found it funny because he has seen me like that before but after a few.... so he found it funny that my 1st meal made me drunk. I've Googled and can't get any answers. Fast forward, this evening i had about 6 spoonfuls of plain ground beef and 30 minutes later my husband was waking me up telling me i passed out asleep while on my phone. The first thing I told him was that i felt buzzed like earlier and i slurred my words again. I'm wondering, has this happened to anyone here before? Am I having some weird complication? What am I doing wrong? I might end up calling my surgeon if this keeps happening..... Sent from my SM-G960U using BariatricPal mobile app

I know. I feel like I’m trapped in the hospital. I feel fine from the surgery and liquids are going down fine. I still have an IV, so I’m not really counting the oz. of liquid. Just had my 1st little BM. I feel a little bloated, but maybe there is still some gas hanging around. It’s not really painful like it was before. I’m starting to wonder if the heart meds are going through my stomach too fast causing them not to be absorbed.

Thank you for replying, I think I just have to be patient with how my stomach heals and learn to what it accepts. so far i have had no issues with Being sick or feeling sick from the wrong foods or eating too fast. I only experience a little nausea when I’ve not eaten anything for a few hours. I’m full after 2-3 small bites but I wait and eat 2 bites again after it’s gone down properly is that ok or am I doing things wrong? I just don’t know as i haven’t been given much advice except to eat small mouthfuls and put spoon down inbetween and eat a snack every 2 hours as I start to feel dizzy when I haven’t had anything for a couple of hours and I’m working now so energy depletes quite fast. I still think it’s healing a little inside.

Thank you both. I am glad to hear that the type of food is not a huge limitation. As for not being ready and asking my surgical group for support... I agree I may not be ready but asking for support isn't an option. The program I'm in which is government funded and paid for, does not offer any psychological support and it was extremely difficult to get them to approve me. I was struggling and being honest but they felt I wasn't making progress fast enough and were on the verge of kicking me out so asking for support will just get my surgery cancelled. I felt punished and threatened not supported, which frankly is the worst thing for a trauma survivor. That's why I'm trying to explore on my own if I'm ready and what the pros, cons and risks are.

Hi everyone, My surgery is creeping up fast and I’m starting to feel a little nervous. I’ve been reading on what to eat and what to avoid post surgery and it’s a little scary thinking about somethings you will never be able to eat again, or always taking tablets, rarely consuming alcohol, possible complications…. I’m sure most people get to this stage pre-surgery. So far I’ve been nothing but excited for my surgery and a second chance at life and treating my body well. Just wondering from those that have had surgery if they have any tips, advice on how they managed leading up to surgery and how it has been since? How was the purée stage and how long until you could socialise with people without being questioned about how slow or little you’ve eaten? Also I know it says alcohol on special occasions, so just wondering how people cope with alcohol since surgery? I’ve also decided not to tell people and just have the support from my partner who has been amazing. He is fully supportive. I just don’t want alot of critical people trying to tell me I shouldn’t do it or shouldn’t have done it? Hugely appreciate any help and guidance :) Thanks :)

I’m not sure it gets much better, but rather you get used to it. I am 5months post op. The food doesn’t feel stuck any more, but the few bites is still a thing. I can usually get 6 bites in but I take large bites and eat fast which is not good so maybe if you continue with small bites and eat slow you will continue to gain bites! They call it restriction and basically it means your sleeve is doing it’s job, but it is hard to get used to! Sounds like you are on the right track… your weight loss stalls are very normal at this stage!

😭😭😭 you’re speaking my language purées can’t come fast enough, less than 2 days

I have Molina and when I contacted my surgeons office to inquiry some information on the sleeve they had me pre-approved for surgery within 2 days and called to schedule my first appointment with the Dr. They have been great for me - I am super happy with them and so far they covered everything 100%. I did have $160 to the hospital for my endoscopy and a $40 copay for the endocrinologist. Also, if you do the sleep clinic at home not in a clinic they only cover SNAP at home sleep study company. They covered all of it but $47. Just FYI because it took me a week to get that figured out. All I had to do was see a endocrinologist, sleep study, endoscopy, see a nutritionist twice, and see the psychologist. Only 3 months for me from start to surgery I’m December . But my BMI is on the boarder of surgery however my type 2 diabetes is in the 300 even when I was 18 and 105 pounds so that’s why they are pushing it through so fast. I’ve had really high that drops real low where 911 comes. We can’t get it under control and it started with the focus vaccine in March - I had a severe reaction and was hospitalized from the vaccine. But I absolutely love Molina. Good luck with everything!!!

That is a good question that I do not think many people if any can answer. The simple answer would be to estimate your current rate of weight loss and make a close guess as to what you expect to weigh at that point, knowing of course the rate of loss will slow as you get further out from surgery. Chances are you are going to need some alterations as you get closer because you cannot guess that precisely, so if anything, err on the side of caution. You can always make it smaller but pretty tough to add material if you do not lose as fast as you may expect. I know for one, I am changing sizes very rapidly. I am down 60 pounds and 3 pants sizes and 2 shirt sizes in the past 6 weeks. Even if I do not lose a lot of weight, the pants are getting looser because I am redistributing inches somehow. It is a tough call for you. Good luck

UPDATE: So just about 6 months out for me now. Just wanted to make note of some things. My lowest weight thus far was 241.2 and that was on October 25th!! I have not lost anything since then and in fact, have been weighing in consistently around 248/249 since. Now I know this happened to me back in October, I think, but yeah, VERY frustrating!! Why the 7+lb difference? I know, I know, could be water weight, hormones, etc. But it sucks to not see the scale move DOWN in so long. I hate this back and forth/up and down thing with the weight cause I feel like it's now taking a whole month just to lose a few pounds when it used to be 10-15lbs a month I'd be losing, at least! I also only lost 1.75 inches last month which also sucks. Especially when previous months had me losing 7 or more inches at a time. My last regular doctors appointment was Sept 13th. At that time he cut my Metformin down in half. Which I am happy about. HOWEVER, when I was first put on it 10 years ago it was to help my Insulin Resistance and my PCOS. My endocrinologist said, while it's normally prescribed for diabetics, it also helps people with those issues which is why he gave it to me. And it did regulate me all that time. So fast forward to this Sept when it was cut in half, and now I have not had a period since Sept. 17th!!! Not sure if it's due to the cut in that medication or if I'm maybe pre menopause or due to the surgery. Not sure. Weird thing is I'm crampy and all bloated like I would be had I had my period and that's very annoying too. And finally, I feel like I'm suddenly able to eat more food than I originally was. I guess that's normal? At least I hope it is. But for instance, I used to be able to eat a turkey sausage, egg and cheese on a bagel thin for breakfast and have about 1/4 of it left at the end. Now I can eat the entire thing. Or only one egg and half a turkey sausage patty now I can eat two eggs and maybe a half of patty/sometimes the whole thing. I used to be able to eat only 3/4 small wings, now I can eat like 6 or 8. I'm hoping this is ok and not due to me stretching out my pouch. I wonder too if my slight gain/water retention/whatever is due to me now consuming more carbs and some foods with sugar? I had previously stayed away from those things but my nutritionist said not to. To add in more variety and varied foods and even ones I used to stay away from as long as I'm only having a serving of said foods. And I do. But funny how now I'm NOT losing regularly since adding in things like bagel thins, quinoa, brown rice, a small handful of Goldfish Crackers here and there, Whole Wheat Saltines, etc. Not sure what's happening. Very frustrating as I did NOT expect things to slow down ALREADY this soon out. I have not been following closely how much protein I've been getting in or my water intake. So one or both of those could also be contributing too but I'm not sure. Maybe it's time to crack down again? I don't know. I don't feel like I'm really doing anything off plan or out of control. Who knows.

Give yourself grace and patience also don't do too much to fast. I had surgery on the 29th and I'm struggling I had to go back to work after a week because I haven't been on my job long enough for FMLA *eye roll* and also I didn't have enough vacation time. Whatever time you can take off use it!

Foamies are lots of saliva & mucus you have to spit up. Usually occurs if the food you eat is too dry & your body has to produce extra mucus & saliva for lubrication. Or if you eat too much or too fast. It just rises & fills your mouth. For me it doesn’t have any food in it. Some people say it includes food as well but I call that vomiting or regurgitation. Sometimes the mucus is so thick it gets stuck in my throat - like phlegm. Sorry if too gross. I can’t bring it up so my body tries to clear it by gagging & making this barking type noise. Not pretty at all.

I can officially say that she is BETTER! The cramping faded slowly, as did the radiating shoulder pain. She is now 2 weeks post op and already on soft foods (per her surgeon’s rules). She had a breakfast burrito this morning and is stoked to be eating “real food” again. I am meal prepping for her and myself and she is already down 22lbs. She feels great, we went on a short trip on Sat and she put in 15,000 steps. She is killing it! I will say, she still gets pain if she eats too fast, she forgets and is quickly reminded to SLOW DOWN! She is learning why it feels like to be full. We think it is crazy that she is able to eat so well now… we weigh everything and all of her meals are 4oz total and she does not drink anything 3.0 mins before or after meals. Low fat, no sugar and she is doing awesome. She is able to get down 60-80grams of protein and 4-5 bottles of water (with GENEPRO protein powder in 2 or 3) with no issues. God is good! Thanks all for the kind words.

Hello All, I had my sleeve surgery exactly 7 months ago. Have done great with weight loss and no complications. I had my 6 month follow up last month, and surgeon said I was doing great. He asked if I was hungry, I said no. Fast forward just 2-3 days, and I started grazing. It has gone on for 3 weeks now and in scared. I'm not hungry. I can graze even after meals when I feel full. It's like a few bites of fruit or almonds or now its carrots. I weigh daily which isn't an emotional issue for me. It's just a check. I am at goal so I'm not trying to lose more, but I'm not wanting to use grazing to maintain weight either. I was going to ask at my 8 month follow up appt next month, what should I do to stop losing and just maintai. Looks like I've found it. But, I dont want grazing to be the answer. For those of you who had challenges with grazing, how did you stop it? Mine is totally mental. It started after my first true vacation in october. I did great with staying on plan during the trip. When I got back home, I felt the "back home from vacation" letdown and maybe even a little boredom. Then I started grazing. I need to stop. I'm scared because my restriction is a little less, and I don't want to trigger a bad habit. It's been 3 weeks. Please share what helped you stop. P.S. Yes, I'm alerting my dietitian today also. But, you all can share lived experience of what helped you stop. Thanks!

I was told to stay away from all carbs once able to eat 3 meals at one month post op plus 2 protein drinks for snacks. I also recommend making soft boiled eggs not hard. The runny yolk helps ease the egg down. If you eat too fast or food is too dry you will feel sick, like something is stuck right in the middle of your chest. I have learned the hard way by getting sick a few times when I eat too fast. It's OK to not finish your whole meal. Its mentally annoying since we are so used to eating all of it but it's an adjustment you have to learn. Sent from my SM-G998U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

Thank you Viking beast. I admitted, I realized I jumped in too fast. I have had boiled egg on soft foods, so it must have been adding the Turkey sausage and diet bread. I admit, I could not eat even half of it. I am a carnivore, and was so excited to be able to eat meat again. I am also a sandwich person, so the thought of being able to make a small sandwich was enticing to me. Obviously, my new anatomy said no.

I'm one of the sad exceptions. I was borderline pre-diabetic and chose bypass hoping to stave off diabetes. For the first three months post-op, my fasting BG was around 70-80. But after the three month mark, it shot back up into the 90's, and today, two years out, it's right back to where it was originally -- typically 95-104 fasting. My A1C went from 4.9 right after surgery to 5.2, so I'm still reasonably okay, but the surgery did not change my situation at all.

I feel really defeated and upset. Sorry this is gonna be a negative post but I dont know what to do anymore. I had my surgery (vsg) September 28th (in another post I mixed up September and October) and recovered very well, very fast. Hardly any gas pain, no incisional pain and so far no vomiting. As thankful as I am about all that that pretty much sums up all the good things there are. First of I’m hungry ALL THE TIME!! In fact my cravings have never been this bad. I think about food 24/7!! Then the moment I smell food or prepare food my hunger vanishes and gets replaced by feeling incredibly nauseous. I can only eat something once then it grosses me out. Because of this I avoid eating and - as stupid as it sounds I’m well aware of that - I get scared to eat because I dont want to be miserable. I can tolerate everything fine but the smell is just awful! Speaking of awful I have the worst and most disgusting bad breath of my life!! No matter how much I brush my teeth and floss my mouth my family can smell me from down the hall. I feel so gross! If only I was loosing weight I’d accept it all but the kicker is I’m not losing any!! The first two weeks I lost 25lbs. Week 3 and four I lost 3lbs and since then (two weeks!!) I’ve been stalling. I’m so frustrated!! What makes matters the absolute worst (sorry this is tmi) I can’t 💩!!!! I havent gone in 15 days!! I’m seeing a nutritionist, who has prescribed me stool softener but nothing happened. I’ll probably have to go back to the hospital over the weekend to get a stronger laxative (talked to the surgeon on the phone today). I didnt expect to have regular bowl movement as before but feeling constipated for two weeks is really no fun. I’m telling myself at least once that’s out maybe my weight will finally drop? Some more context: My surgeon’s plan calls for regular food after day 4. I didnt follow that guideline because it scared me and ate soft foods till aprox. week 5 focusing on my protein intake. I weigh my food though I feel like I can eat a lot. So far I consume around 300-400kcal a day. I had to eat out once for work where I had bread with cheese. Other than that I’m very diligent with my diet. My water intake could be better but I’m constantly sipping on water and cant get more down than 1 maybe 1 1/2L a day. I feel like I’m being punished because I lost (and gained back) 100lbs three times before with very restrictive diets and my body is so used to “being starved” so it’s not playing along. I keep reminding myself my main goal isnt weight loss (though I need and want to) but to stop yoyo dieting in such excess. It’s hardly comforting though because I’m really really frustrated. I’m sorry to be so negative! And I’m sorry I wrote so much but I need to get it off my chest. Have any of y’all had a similar hard beginning? Does it really get better? At this point I can’t imagine it

yes you definitely do have to let go of comparisons to other people. I am a slow loser too but I am 11 pounds from a normal BMI and I am still losing. The important thing is not how fast you lose it just that you keep losing. Honestly I am glad I am a slow loser. So far I do not have any loose skin and I think the slower loss may be why.

I'm on day 3 of my 2 week liquid pre-op diet before the sleeve. Hunger hasn't been too bad though it's been emotionally much rougher than I realized. But, I am so done with protein shakes, I feel like if I drink another one I'll puke. So my question is, how important is the protein at this stage if it's just to shrink my liver? Wouldn't just eating nothing also work? Because at this point that sounds like a better alternative.

Thank you all for the advice. I really appreciate it. I will progress slowly from now on. So excited to finally eat, at least, the diet food I had been eating pre surgery that I started out the gate too fast! Lol!