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Hello friends, Update: Surgery went very well. Doctor was very pleased with it and post-op, Tomorrow is one week and I am feeling pretty good so far. Following the protein and water intake recommendations. (Using a medicine cup to remember to sip and not gulp -- that's helping a lot to establish this new habit.) So far this recovery has been easier than my hernia surgery and my VGS some years ago! I hope everyone is having a good experience as we embark our on this new path together! Best wishes, Elizabeth

Follow up: Surgery went well. Doctor was very pleased with it and my post-op. Tomorrow is the one week mark and I feel pretty good. Following the protein and water intake rules. Using a medicine cup to drink from so that I remember to sip helps a lot. Anyway happy to report that surgery at 60 is going even better than it was at 50 so far!!

Whether you drink alcohol or not or how much or how often you drink is really a personal one. You know yourself best & you are best placed to see how & if it affects you. I was a big glass of wine every night person before surgery. Never a big drinker as such but would enjoy a glass or three if socialising over a couple of hours. After surgery I had a gin & tonic at about the 2 month mark at my cousin’s 40th. Literally sipped it for hours. Had another 1or 2 gin & tonics over the next 4 months while losing, always nursing the glass for hours. Honestly, I lost my taste for it. Think I was only able to tolerate the rare g&ts because of the bitterness of the tonic. Now I usually have a glass of something about once a month when out or celebrating something. Still usually only one & I drink it over about an hour now. I have a fridge & a cupboard full of alcohol I just don’t drink. LOL! When I do drink I go for quality over quantity these days. A glass of real champagne, a glass of good quality scotch or a good gin (they’re my go tos). Certainly addiction transfer is a consideration. As is the increased effects of the alcohol on your body & how fast it can affect you is another. Then there is the calorie & nutritional impact. But again, your choice, though if your plan says no alcohol while losing, I’d probably stick to that as closely as possible to take best advantage of your losing phase.

ok, gonna throw my story on the table...take from it as you will, as a lesson to live by, a cautionary tale, or a personal justification...you choose. pre surgery i was also a weekend warrior, actually, more like a yearly quarterly warrior, lol. i had like a couple drinks every 2-3 months. probably got stupid drunk once a year or less. during weight loss phase (which lasted 7 months) i had maybe 5 partial drinks. i don't think i finished any of those drinks. my first "drink" was 3 weeks post op. I had maybe 2-3 sips of a glass of red wine. it was really weird, i swear i could feel the burning of the alcohol pass down my esophagus, through my stomach and along my intestines. my second drink was about 1 month later (christmas) and it was a very sugary soju-sake drink. again i had maybe 2-3 sips but this one resulted in my second worst dumping experience ever. *shudder*. the next 3 or so drinks were vodka or gin sodas (learned my lesson! less sugar!) ok. now its 2019, im in maintenance and i'm looking hawt and feeling awesome and me and mr. go on a couple vacations and i drink way more than i normally do. but its vacation, right? so its ok. i also took up smoking again after being smoke free for 10 years (but thats another story). now its 2020 and its effing covid, and i, like many others i know started drinking at home (i never did this before, i was always a go-out drinker) ...and now its 2024 and i drink every day. i don't get stupid drunk every day or anything (not that i'm trying to justify anything - i fondly call myself a high-functioning alcoholic), but i do drink every day. its at a point where others (i.e., my doctors and my hubs) are chastising me with the amount i drink. i know i drink too much and its probably doing a number on my health despite nothing showing up on any of my labs or whatever. i quit drinking for a month last year because my son said i couldn't stop drinking for a week. so i know i can stop (or at least slow down) if i really wanted to. trouble is i don't seem to really want to. last year, my OBGYN said i really should stop smoking AND drastically cut down the amount i drink. i told her i'm not sure i could do both, so i made her a deal and said i would stop smoking. i'm proud to say i have been smoke free for 9 months (after smoking for 4 years after quitting for 10, after smoking for 20...say that ten times fast, lol). its been surprisingly easy, but i think its because i can still drink. ANYWAY. i'm hoping to get into a mindset soon to address my drinking problem. i don't doubt my ability to reduce, but i'm not sure i will actually WANT to anytime soon. le sigh. so there you have it. i am the poster child of transfer addiction. despite all this, my weight has more or less remained unchanged (go figure). i continue to stay below goal weight this entire time. ....and i am literally typing this post out with an espresso martini in hand. dont judge me! lol. i am relatively chill about all this so even if you do judge me, i wont take it personally. p.s. oh, i should also mention that i get "affected" real quick and on very small amounts. and i also sober up real quick. this phenomenon is a purely post surgery thing. i needed lots more to get drunk before surgery....although my smaller size now may also be a factor....

Hi everyone! Had mine March 28th :) I hit week two tomorrow!

I can’t say the staples were a pain issue for me. There was generalized soreness in the abdomen but was medicated at the hospital. Once home I didn’t require too much pain meds. Just a couple days at night to help sleep. For me the sorest area was the larger incisional port where the Dr removed the stomach. He had told me I would feel a tugging sensation for a few weeks due to the additional stitches at that location. The pain wasn’t too bad, but, thankful I knew what it was. I don’t feel it anymore. As far as the nausea, I was given medication to prevent it so thankfully didn’t go through that. Hope this helps.

Haha, me too! I've been out to breakfast twice and both times I had eggs. One time I ordered one egg scrambled with sausage, hold the toast. The other time I went with a friend and she ordered the big breakfast special that had pancakes, eggs, sausage, home fries, and toast. She gave me the eggs and sausage and ate the rest. We both had leftovers from a meal intended for one person! I also went to a NY style deli in CT last week and ordered the smoked whitefish salad appetizer. It was perfect! I ate half at the table and took the rest with me to eat a couple hours later. I was slightly sad to decline the offer of their fresh rye bread, but no way could I eat it.

OK this is a biggie. You might want to treat alcoholic drinks like a big glass of sugar. Empty calories and not helping you to your goal - hindering actually. However I am Irish and therefore have to acknowledge the fun/relaxation/social stuff associated with imbibing those totally worthless calories. Lots of people who have previously had a completely healthy relationship with alcohol (even if on the slightly heavier side of healthy alcohol intake) can develop a very UNhealthy relationship with alcohol after bariatric surgery. You get a bigger hit, you get it quicker, and you get all the neurotransmitter rush associated with that that makes you want to repeat the experience. For lots of us it has been a big trigger for regaining weight. Just do a search for alcohol and read some of the posts here describing it as THE factor on people's regain. Lots of others have been able to maintain a healthy relationship with alcohol too. If you do your research AND are aware of all that AND vigilant AND able to take immediate action if your relationship with alcohol changes then it might be OK to drink it earlier than your programme allows. Otherwise it might be best to just concentrate on the lovely honeymoon period when you lose weight with not too much effort. I was sleeved 7 weeks before Christmas 2021 and negotiated a glass or two of bubbles over that first holiday season with my dietician. I have been able to continue to drink alcohol at my previous rate and not regain. UNTIL I stopped losing - that was about 2 years post op, 5 months ago. Since then I have been regaining (albeit very slowly). I do wonder whether if I had just ditched alcohol (my only sugar now) early on whether I wouldn't have put on 5lbs in 5 months. I know that third year regain is a thing, but I will never be able to say what effect alcohol may have had. It does seem to have stabilised for me and I know my regain is tiny (not angsting, LOL) just wanted to share my thoughts and my experience. Sorry that turned into a bit of an essay. I hope it helps. Long story short, my programme said no alcohol for 6 months, my (Irish) dietician said go right ahead.

@BlueParis The eclipse was so incredible. I went with a friend and my two teen daughters. We were all impressed beyond belief by the totality. But it was a very rural area and the small roads couldn't handle the traffic leaving the area all at once so it took 7 hours to drive home instead of 3.5. I counted myself lucky to get chicken nuggets. Stopping for a real meal (the original plan) was out of the question with the crowds. @Noelle74 The stalls are frustrating for sure. I know I could stop weighing myself daily, but at this point I am enjoying having a record since I do it in a smart scale app. I think it'll be worth it being able to look back later and remind myself of how it went. But I'm at 7 weeks post-op today and would love to see the scale shift a bit before the 8 week mark. I'm only down 17lbs since surgery. I've also had some incidents of throwing up. It seems to be when I eat too fast or don't chew enough.

I’ve only managed to lose 4lbs since my stall. It’s discouraging! I’ve lost 28lbs since my surgery but I’m ready to start losing again. I still throw up once in awhile. I’m going to ask my surgeon about it when I finally get my post op appt. She was out on the day they had scheduled me so I’ve been put off til the 25th. Other than that just trudging along right now.

Happy to read everyones progress! I @LisaCaryl I feel you I'm still in Cairo so haven't weighed yet... I have no idea if I've lost at all this week or stalled or gained. Ramadan is over now so it'll be back to getting lunch normally etc, but I'm not sure it'll be a joy like it used too... even though I love the food from north africa to the middle east. Also Bit freaked that I have another week until I can weigh myself. @kissabeth It's so amazing to fit back into old clothes isn't it! Well done you. And well done for making it through the interrogation. @RonHall908 I know how depressing the stalls are ... but you've already lost over 100 pounds ... thats amazing I mean thats like the average weight of a 13 year old ... you've lost the équivalant of a teenager! @NickelChip How was the eclipse?

Hi all, thought I would give an update and would love to hear how others March Buddies are doing! I’m 3weeks post op (3/18) & have a bit more energy now that I’m taking vitamins! Still progressing very slow with food. I’m on puréed foods and able to get about 2T when I do eat something. But, mainly takes me most the day to get my 2 protein shakes in & started drinking protein water as well. I’m 5’ 8” & “big boned” so my nutritionist upped my protein target to 80g. I’m Averaging 350-420 calories/day, not due to nutritionist just because I’m not able to take in much. What are the rest of you averaging? Is this normal for 3 weeks? Also, Hoping to get into a better walking routine. Confession: have not been doing a lot of walking, except when I’m shopping! I am parking farther away to get more steps in so making little adjustments. And, my scale says 22lbs lost since day of surgery! Hope you are all doing well on your journey.

I had my surgery on April 1st. The 1st week was tough but each day gets easier! I’m ready to get out of the liquid stage.

I only weigh once a week, and it's been slow going the past few weeks. But as long as I'm losing, I think I'm ok with it. I was told to expect stalls around this time. The hard thing for me is waiting a week to step on the scale. We have been away for 5 days at the beach. That's always been a big eating event for me. This has been quite different. We only ate out 2 times... one breakfast and one dinner. It was uneventful... not the wonderful experience it used to be.

The stalls keep hitting me as well. Losing weight after Gastric bypass is a lot slower than I expected. Only fast food I've ate was grilled chicken nuggest from chic-fil-A and chicken protein bowl from subway. Both last a couple meals. Instead.of trying to eat any meal. I just eat a few bites of protein and veggies. At 4-5 times a day.

April has been the month of stalls for me. I was stuck at 210.6 for 4 days, dropped to 208.8, and then stayed there for 4 days. Finally inched down to 208.4 yesterday and 208.0 today. Only losing 3 pounds in 10 days when I had been on track to lose closer to 5 is frustrating to say the least! The closer I get to being below 200, the more the universe wants to mess with me, apparently. But on an unrelated note, I drove to see the total eclipse in Vermont on Monday and it was amazing! Thank goodness for stopping to get some Vermont cheddar on the drive because healthy food options were scarce. I actually ended up eating McDonald's chicken nuggets for lunch. I managed to eat two of them, and they were okay, but I have no idea how I used to eat a box of 10 plus fries. Next time I venture out, I'm going to need to pack food for myself.

Hi ! I’m 7 days post op and have been home for 4 days. i had the same feeling that i suspect was brought on by a mix of adapting to being home and my « new normal » but also the fatigue from the surgery. I almost cried the first two days, and was asking myself why i’d done this to myself … but then i realised this is just the beginning, and the « strictest » of restrictions but in only a few weeks i’ll be able to eat more varied things. I also read through my eating plan and phases to make sure i’m well versed on what to eat and when and how to manage the next weeks. Being prepared kinda helps me mentally realise there is better to come. I think it’s normal to feel this way after such a major change but stay strong, i’ve been feeling better and better every day and it’s important to celebrate that to keep spirits up ! I realised if i want to be able to get to the point where i can eat real food i just need to work and concentrate on how i’m’feeling: eating slowly and concentrating on how i feel so that i’ll learn to recognise being full, when to stop etc That’s my main priority for this second week! If you need to talk don’t hesitate :)

Hello @MelP1970 and welcome into the forum. You are in a very strange and bewildering time in your recovery. You might be regretting your surgery, lots of us do. The fat cells that you are shedding so quickly at this point, contain your hormones. Fast weight loss means so many are coursing through your body now. Its like puberty all over again. I was so emotional and could not understand why. A kind soul on here put me right. It is a massive learning curve right now for you. Just relearning to drink is a full time job . You are lucky, like me, no hunger pangs. I also love to cook. Once I was physically able to cook again, I restarted feeding my family. I make my portion separately from theirs. For instance, If I make Lasagne for the fam, mine has no pasta and I use sliced baked aubergine instead. Having a wide knowledge of recipes has really helped me vary my food choices. I am 2+ years out and do not feel any loss issues because I can eat almost all the foods I could before surgery. I still have a few issues with certain foods that I adored pre surgery. For instance, I detest cooked salmon but make my own Gravadlax and it tastes divine to me. I hated eggs and now I find them delicious ! If I have carbs, its only a few spoons. I make own wholemeal, seeded bread. This means I can eat a sandwich. Its not the same as regular shop bought stodge which sits heavily in my stomach for hours and then gives me the foamies. I still enjoy eating but now a tiny amount suffices. Being thin feels better than eating huge meals. Long ago, I read that Parisienne women ate this way, a few forkfuls and they leave the rest. My immediate family are used to me eating what I can and putting the remainder in the fridge for a later snack. I have a friend that I eat out with once a week. It was hard in the beginning to find things I could eat on a menu but now I usually have a salad which to me is a joy. I love the variety and crunch. This forum has members all over the world. People post pictures in the ' Food before and after' page. I find things I have never heard of before. This leads to new recipes to cook and taste. TBH my menu has expanded now, my food is more nutrient dense and much better quality. Give yourself time to accept the changes and challenges. You will feel your normal self quite soon.

Hi everyone, I had my bypass surgery 3 months ago and I am just a bit worried about my portion size. I am currently living in UK and struggling to understand whether I am eating too much as I am the majority of the time still hungry and it is very challenging to control. I am just scared that if I continue like this, my appetite will keep increasing and based on what I have heard from other patients from different clinics who had the same operation, they do have smaller portions. One of my friend's relatives had the same surgery and he did say to me that his portion size is not more than 8g/3oz. I have been advised by the dietitian to have 3 main meals up to 150 grams/5oz each, drink plenty of water, healthy snacks and focus on the protein. The surgery was done abroad in a private clinic and this is what they suggested to do already on the 3rd week after the operation. I do use kitchen scales to keep track of the portion size. I would appreciate any advise. Thanks!

Oh this is fascinating. Proves I'm still learning even 2.5 years post op. I know now that all the pain and pulling I had around my big incision (mine was on the left though) might have been this. Totally fits. I had a number of incidents when I bent over and then straightened up (too quickly maybe) that almost floored me. It totally resolved about 6 weeks after my surgery. Made me think about how I moved for some time though.

I agree with the others - I found warm liquids miles easier to drink a few weeks post op. Glad you're finding your groove OP - so much adjusting to do along the way but it's so worth it!

I’m 11 weeks out from RNY and had a weekend trip away with the grand babies. Hotel had a swimming pool and I discovered I no longer float. I kept sinking and it took so much more work to not drown.

My dietician wanted me to get at least 90g of protein a day and 30g or less carbs. My energy has been sapped as well. But I also work 55-60 hours a week. So that doesn't help much along with getting in some exercise daily. So, I've been getting in 40-45 g of carbs and that seemed to help some. But I've also had no more than 100 grams.of caffiene every couple days. I use the baritastic app and log everything. It's helps a lot. My dietician can log in and see what I've been doing. She hasn't said anything, but I also don't have an appointment with her until next month. I think my issues are getting enough vitamins and minerals. My hair used to grow very fast, now it doesn't. I take three multivitamins a day and two B-complex vitamins. Along with calcium chews. I also have an appointment with the bariatric center where I had the surgery. I'm certain they will have another round of blood tests to see if I have any deficiencies. Sorry this was a book. 😁

Ooof. Had my 6-week post-op appointment today and it felt a little like the Spanish Inquisition - my days vary so much that it was very hard to explain what my meals look like! (Mostly, frankly, I hate eating, so it's not a highlight of my day.) They finally satisfied themselves that I really have been drinking enough water and having enough protein and few enough carbs, though, so it went pretty well. All the bits seem to function. Only issue we're both concerned about is that my exhaustion levels are pretty high, especially if I try to exercise, so the doctor was like, "go have some carbs already!" After how hard they drilled into me not to eat them, the idea sounded pretty foreign, Not like they want me to go ham or anything, but just to eat half a piece of whole wheat bread (whole wheat bread here is pretty serious) with some protein on it before I exercise or something. Tried it this afternoon and it was like someone had flipped a switch on XD Also put on a dress that I haven't worn for 8 years thinking it was going to still be too small. IT LOOKS LIKE A TENT. Had to give in and actually admit I need new clothes XD Hope everyone else's week is going well...