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i know quite a few people who are/were on it. those currently on it, lost anywhere from 10-70 lbs. those who are no longer in it, gained back anywhere from none to all the weight back. though the majority of the no-longer-users kept of "most" of their weight losses off. so still a decent net loss in the end (so far). i myself experimented with ozepmpic last year...my mom is diabetic and i asked if i could try her stash because she takes less than ½ of the lowest dose as she says its too strong (so she had lots of surplus omg)...she's lost maybe 30-40 lbs (my stepdad is also diabetic with his own ozempic rx, and he lost closer to 70 lbs) anyway...i took the lowest dosage for 4 weeks at 120lbs thinking i could lose 5lbs tops...i ended up losing 8 or 9 lbs i think. i stopped after the 4th week and pretty much went back to pre-ozempic weight-ISH within a couple months. (i am 119.1 lbs this morning). so yeah, just like wls and everything else in life, individual losses and experiences depends on the person. now while this was an interesting experiment, it was FREE. if i had to pay for it, i'd pass. for me, at least, its not worth it..but for someone with more weight to lose, and who has the means and the inclination, and the access...why not? good luck! ❤️

Ugh. Getting back on track after vacation is harder than I thought it would be. I have no desire to cook and I'm craving snacks and sweets like crazy because I know they're in the house. I had done a thorough job of getting all the snacks and candy out of the cupboards leading up to surgery, but with the kids home all day for the summer, I've bought some things for them, and we also brought home stuff from our trip. Resisting the temptation when it's just in the next room while I'm working is HARD, especially because having a snack was often the way I would deal with avoiding a project for work that I didn't want to do (I work from home). Add on top of that the beginning of hunger returning and an increase in how much I can comfortably eat in one sitting and it's a battle. Plus the weather has been miserably hot so if I don't get out to walk first thing in the morning, it's not happening. Needless to say, my weight has bounced up a pound this week. So frustrated!

Being that you're a night shift nurse, you're already burning a ton of calories. You should probably cut your workouts way back. If you want to still work out frequently, maybe try for 45 minutes 3 days per week. Definitely increase your fluids. Get plenty of sleep. Increase your calories to AT LEAST 1000 per day, because with what you're burning between work and working out, your body likely thinks it's in starvation mode and it's hanging on to everything it can. If you decrease the workouts a bit and increase the calories a bit and increase your sleep and fluids, you should be able to wake your body back up and start losing again. Also, what are your stats? What surgery did you have, what was your starting weight and bmi and what is it now? You lose more and faster when you're heavier. As you get closer to a healthier and "normal" weight and bmi, the weight comes off slower.

It's not something that has been easy for the past 15 years. I used to workout several days a week for a long time, but I was just more into weight lifting, not so much cardio or anything like it. Since I've lost a lot of weight, that same drive has kicked started again. Also, I know this is going to need to be a long term thing to ensure I don't go back to what I was doing before. I have knee replacement surgery in October, so I'm trying to keep the knee strong for better recovery.

F 52, 5'9.5", SW 255 26 lbs, with 2 week liquid diet 36 219 202 186 Almost 5 months post op, 174. RNY Gastric Bypass 1/3/24

Happy 10 day post-op! Im sorry to hear about your belly button discharge- do you have an incision close to it that caused it? I am also about 3 weeks liquid phase including pre-op. Im so sick of it. My fluid intake for water/sugar free gatorade is okay. I’m no where near 1.5 L a day but its slowly getting better and im definitely drinking more now than I was the first two days. Did you develop an intolerance to lactose after your surgery?

Short update: I had my gastric sleeve procedure done in November 2019. I lost around 85 lbs and then stalled eventually regaining around 50 lbs back and a horrible case of GERD. I had never had symptoms of GERD before my surgery and about 3 months later, I had to begin taking omeprezole daily to deal with it. If I forget a dose I can tell by the afternoon. During the first year post surgery, I lost my husband (not unexpectedly but it DID happen 10 days post-op for me), moved across country from Florida to New Mexico, bought a new house and started a new job. My daughter is 1 year post-op and lost approx. 150 ibs on the DS. l just started the process to obtain a revisional surgery. Will be discussing the benefits of either the DS or ByPass. I had the upper GI completed which showed a small hiatal hernia with evidence of GERD. It also showed mild cricopharyngeal hypertrophy. Any suggestions regarding which of the 2 procedures would help with the GERD and to help lose the 130 lbs. that I still need to drop to get to my goal weight?

Welcome. Yes, there will be many changes ahead but there will also be so many benefits and wins. And yes, it’s not uncommon to have concerns and fears and mourn what you used to do. (Yes, you may find the thread @summerseeker recommended helpful. At least in knowing you’re not alone in how you’re feeling.) I can only speak from my experience. Did I feel worried or grieve before my surgery or after? Honestly no. I truely had, had enough. And it all happened very quickly like not quite 6 weeks between seeing my GP for a referral & my surgery. Though I am someone who once makes a decision I stick to it. It’s interesting you should say you feel having the surgery is a punishment. I saw the constant dieting a punishment for gaining weight. I’d got to the point that nothing I did changed my weight. (Menopause did the final number on me.) I’m five years out. Do I think I’m on a diet now? No, this is just how I eat. Do I feel like I’m not eating enough? No, because I’ve learnt what I eat is appropriate for my needs and I used to eat way too much & way more than my body needed. I pretty much eat the recommended portion size of foods. Do I feel like I’m missing out on anything? No. There’s always alternatives, or you can have a small amount of what ever it is others are having or you used to enjoy. It comes down to how often you have it and how much you have. Plus you may find new things you really enjoy. Do I want to go back to eating exactly like I did before ? No. I mean that’s how I got to the weight I was & why I always struggled. Do I like to exercise. No & never really did before either (another punishment in the most part) so you’re ahead of me in that game. But I have found some things I do (little things like stretches and using resistance bands I do throughout my day) & I actually don’t mind doing them. A lot is of this is about learning & introducing new habits, new routines and developing a new relationship with food. Never be reluctant to seek the help & support of a therapist. Your head can be your greatest enemy. I do have a couple of little issues I deal with since my sleeve? Yes, I call them my quirks. I had a quirky tummy before my surgery so nothing new really just some are different & some are gone. Doesn’t stop me doing what I enjoy. PS And congrats on being able to do a push up. I’ve never been able to do a proper one. I can get down but can’t get back up again - tee hee! I do wall pushups though - stand about a meter away from a wall.

I was given cream of chicken soup with bits in it at the hospital day 1 after surgery. I was still hopped up on anesthesia at the time and called a nurse in to question why. She took my spoon and looked at it, then said the bits weren't big enough to cause a problem???? I thought well...it is a bariatric hospital so I ate it. It did taste wonderful and thankfully nothing got stuck in my incisions but I still question it. In fact a relative of mine recently had WLS and on a phone consult within week 1 with same hospital nurses, was told to try a bit of bread for nausea??? I immediately remembered the soup they gave me and am now really questioning the nurses at that hospital and their knowledge of care for bariatric patients. I tried calling them to inquire about their iffy advice but never heard back. I need to call my bariatric team nutritionist to give them a heads up. As for OP question about salty cravings. Soup. Bouillons, strained cream soups and my fav... egg drop soup strained from a local Chinese restaurant. I even used a Vitamix to pulverize any bits that could cause problems later on. Good luck on your journey @Sami2209.

I don't think you are going bald, just going through what so many of us have had to cope with. I had long thick straight hair pre-op and thought I was doing really well when I got to month four with no hair loss and then it was like a horror movie for two months. Clumps would come out if I washed my hair, I would cry in the shower when I saw what was in the drain and my hand after just a light touch wash. I kept my hair tied back and washed just once a week during the two months but you could tell where I had been by following the trail of fallen hair, I seriously shed more than my cat! I was so self conscious about it as had bald patches but thankfully others couldn't tell it was mostly underneath. I ended up cutting my hair up to chin length so it was not as obvious. After six months the hair loss stopped and now it is about regrowth, it is nearly as annoying though not in anyway upsetting. I have been getting my hair cut every couple of months so that my existing hair is as close in length to the new hair (which is coming in with a curl) and I have to put mascara in my hair if I go out in public as there are baby hairs sticking up all over the place, looks like static hair. I took special bariatric vitamins for hair for three months, no idea if it helped but I was prepared to try anything. I also got a couple of wigs but ended up not needed them. For washing my hair I used a really soft shampoo made from oat milk. Basically I just want to let you know that what you are going through is normal after the surgery, you couldn't have prevented it, it just happens to most patients as the body is coping with the weight loss and it will get better.

Nothing like completely avoiding the digestive tract. I love the convenience of only having to change the patch twice a week. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to get my script filled - supply dramas sigh! My GP swapped me to a gel & a progesterone pill for two months hoping the patch would be available by then & also hoping I’d absorb enough progesterone to cover me for the short term. They’re hoping end of August for the patch to be back which means I’ll need four months of the gel & tablet. Unexpected effect of being smaller was I was told to rub the gel into my upper arm. Tried that but I’d had to rub it over my entire arm because of the amount of gel & it still wasn’t enough skin. I now rub it all over my butt & tummy. That’s only 1 pump. I’d be rubbing it all over my body if it was two pumps. Lol! PS I found eucalyptus oil really great at removing the sticky residue left on my skin from the patch.

One year ago today I had my sleeve surgery and my nightmare began. 12 months later I am doing much better I know that, my infections have gone, I have lost 47kg/103lb and my energy is improving BUT I am finding today very difficult. Today I just feel really sad and keep crying when I realise how much of the last year I lost what with the four months in hospital, all the stress (not just for me but for my family) and how I am still recovering all from what was supposed to be just one night post-op in hospital and then a few weeks of recovery. I thought I was doing better mentally and emotionally but today I just wish I could have just stayed in bed. Anyway I just wanted to say thanks to all here how have answered my questions, given support etc., it has made my journey a bit easier.

It’s been one of *those* days and it’s all been because of various medical people (not WLS-related) and I’m completely fed up. Hospital and meds delivery people not talking to one another so no idea if I will receive my delivery in time for my next jab this coming Monday. I mean, it’s only for my Rheumatoid Arthritis so not important, obviously. Then there’s the absolute joy of dealing with my doctors surgery when chasing up a prescription for pain relief that was requested last week. Rang my pharmacy - no prescription received. Rang Drs - oh, it was refused because you need to have yet another meds review (already having one on 27th for unrelated meds) No pain meds and no one thought to contact me to tell me (the wonder of doing everything online) Staff at surgery doesn’t think that the reviewing clinician can fit a 3rd med in to the upcoming review, so yet another review booked for Saturday. This will mean I’m without pain meds for a week by the time it gets put through and delivered 😤 I am just so 😖😖😖 I know we all make mistakes but today has just been a Micky-take from start to finish. I’ve put a complaint in with the Drs for the lack of communication and care, hospital already miffed with the meds delivery company so I’ve left that in their hands to deal with. The only thing going through my head now is what if the surgery is as crap when it comes to issuing meds post Bariatric surgery?? I’ve no confidence in them dealing with requests in a timely manner generally so I’m dreading how much they screw up when I have to go to them for all the Bariatric stuff. Sorry, I just needed to get it off my chest. Hubby is dealing with some work issues at the moment that’s stressing him out so I don’t want to add to that right now. 🙁

I'm in the same waist size jeans that I was in 2004. My belly will be the last to go since that's primarily where a lot of my weight was. Side pucker was about 3 weeks ago. The stalls just seem to be there as a test.

1). I lost 16 lbs the entire first MONTH, and I went on to lose over 200 lbs. Most of us seem to lose somewhere in the 15-25 lb range the first month (yes - MONTH). So unless you're an outlier or the size of someone on "My 600 lb Life", you are doing very well! 2). sounds like you are experiencing the infamous "Three-week stall" right now - right on time, too! The vast majority of us hit our first major stall within the first month or so after surgery - and it's usually the third week;, hence, the name. If you google the site for the three-week stall, you will find something like 17,000 posts on it (and no, I am NOT kidding). A slight bump-up in weight is not unusual, either. It's almost certainly just water weight. The best thing to do is to continue to stick to your program and stay off the scale for a few days. As long as you remain compliant with your program, the stall will break and you'll be on your way again. It usually takes 1-3 weeks. 3). you won't feel much (if any) restriction or "full" until you move to solid foods. Liquids go right through you, and purees pass through pretty quickly, too. Plus you had nerves cut during surgery, and it takes awhile for them to start to regenerate. You'll feel it fairly soon. However, "full" doesn't always feel the same way for many of us that it did before surgery. I don't feel "full" the same way at all - it's more a discomfort - sort of like pressure - in my chest. Once I start feeling that, I know I'd better stop eating or I'm going to be sorry. Others have even weirder full signals - like a runny nose or sneezing.

I put my surgery day weight in my stats instead of my highest weight because I wanted to track what I was losing since the actual surgery. But if you look at my signature, you can see what my numbers were, and they weren't pretty by any means. Everyone loses at a different weight. It depends on what we have going on with our bodies. It took me 2 years to lose 200 pounds. Some on here have lost more than that in that same time. Some have lost a lot less. We can't compare ourselves to anyone else. HAVING SAID THAT..... you lost, from your surgery date, 367 pounds - 294 pounds = 73 pounds lost. In 4 1/2 months. That's an average loss of roughly 16.5 pounds per month, or just a hair over 4 pounds per week. For reference, I lost 79 pounds by 5 months out. So you're very close to where I was. Don't lose hope or feel discouraged. You're doing well. Maybe try hitting the gym once a week and also going for a nice long walk once a week. You'll see the extra movement really helps a lot, too. Stick to your protein first, then veggies, then carbs, then healthy fats and you'll also do well. If you can't get the protein and fluids in at the amount you need, do your best. Supplement with a protein shake for now, on top of the rest of your foods because that counts for both.

When I went to the hospital, I wore my pyjamas, comfy crocs and a fleece. I packed another pair of pyjamas, underwear and phone charger. Nothing else. In the UK, hospitals provide you with toothbrush/toothpaste and toiletries for showering etc. Besides, when you get admitted, you have to change into a hospital gown. I kept my boxer shorts on, and discarded them in the hospital bathroom bin when I showered three days later. You want to keep packing light, make it easier on yourself. Most of your time will be spent in bed recovering, not surfing the net.

Hello All- i posted for the first time just about three years ago with some anxieties as a spouse with my wife prepping to undergo the gastric sleeve. I originally noted being concerned about our lifestyle changes, relationship impacts (I had heard all the horror stories) and most of all health concerns into the future. The community was incredibly supportive and I had learned tips and useful knowledge that helped me coach and support my wife through it. I am happy to say we are better than we ever have been and her self confidence is through the roof. However the MAIN reason the surgery ever was even considered was to get her diabetes that started while she was pregnant with our first child and got very concerning bad with our fourth has still stuck around and caused issues….. First- this is Life changing not just for the partner getting the surgery, but the spouse too. We used to be foodies and that all had to go out the door. Same with alcohol. Two bites and you are full, a pint and you are drunk. So activities, dates, etc. and new hobbies should all be prepared for well in advance. Luckily we are both athletes and coaches and this allowed to have an outlet that wasn’t our prior foodies and beer/ brewery culture pastime. Two- Relationship, anyone who tells you that this leads to automatic divorce/ break up is paranoid or lying. Out of her support group offered by our health network, I think only 1 or 2 of about fifteen women ended up separating and that was from the other spouse cheating. I have to say that in many ways, after four kids and all our activities, youth sports and coaching- it created a second honeymoon period for us and really strengthened our romance and relationship because we both focused on our health again jointly and the magnetism increased dramatically. Third- It might not fix the problem…. We did not jointly go into the surgery for cosmetic or weight loss reasons. It was the diabetes and the doctors said it was a solid shot to cure or mitigate the disease. It was for a while, but it keeps back up. despite healthy eating, despite exercise and coaching, despite the surgery- medications came back into the picture and so did the celebrity weight loss drug (which is really supposed to be for diabetes…) This has been keeping everything under control but is a case of the cure being as bad as the sickness. The side effects are brutal and definitely have a quality of life impact, but we both want to live to see grandkids someday….. Fourth- dysmorphia is VERY really. We are both naturally larger people. I was a lineman in high school and college and she was a softball catcher in high school and college and ended up also playing women’s rugby there as well. Even with the surgery she went from an XL to L but she got her college/ high school figure back and as such her confidence went through the roof and started dressing like she hadn’t in years. With the medication though??? Her figure, face shape, everything changed. Down to a Small or Medium. For almost a year and a half she hasn’t recognized herself in the mirror. It’s a double wham with the surgery and the medication. Between her best friends and myself (we have all been in the same friend/ team group since college) the support was to have fun with it and go with the flow. Instead of worrying about it (the dysmorphia) it was embrace the change. All new clothes she could never wear before, she’s been a redhead now and then blonde and still is. Cut her hair shorter, started wearing makeup (never really did)- all just to try and put a positive spin on it. I’ve been the spoiled recipient of having a brand new girl (don’t think I haven’t romanced and spoiled the you-know-what out of her), but at the end of the day it’s been mitigation of all the life changes. The last part has been the most detailed because it’s the most recent and to me has been the most impactful- NOT having the surgery do its intended purpose and the dysmorphia we’re both very difficult given the efforts and life changes made. We’ve done everything we can to make lemonade out of those lemons though. We had an anniversary vacation better than our honeymoon this past summer (she has always been way out of my league and these days it’s very much over the top- I feel incredibly spoiled) and we have made time to ride our bikes together with our oldest babysitting the kids and we come to each others games when we coach. I would tell any spouse; husband or wife of someone who is going to have the surgery and then or also do all the meds: 1. Support. It’s a huge deal and you need to show up. 2. Don’t get insecure about your relationship because of the surgery. If you are worried it means you might not have a great relationship to start with…. 3. You will need to change your life too. Because of my size and my weight lifting, I need a lot of protein and calories. I will never look like a Hollywood star (like she now does) and always an NFL lineman- BUT- if I bring a cannoli, pie or a full growler into the house in addition to steak/ salmon, etc it’s teasing and not fair. You will need to learn self control to support your spouse… 4. Inspire and come up with ideas for positive re-enforcement. If the dysmorphia or depression sets in, you need to find fun things to do, supportive steps to take and positive angles to keep things going. 5. If you are doing all this as a spouse, what about YOU??? Are you going to die a martyr? Take care of YOURSELF too. I go lifting 3 times a week, go fishing in season. And for my 40th birthday when she asked what I wanted?? I got us a long weekend on the Cape, bought her some dresses I wanted to see her in and sent her to get her hair, nails, toes, eyelashes, etc.. done. Said I wanted a long weekend with my movie star wife. It was a great time, kid free and continued to strengthen our marriage. Anyways- why am I writing this? Posterity? Self reflection? Not really…. I just want to give Spouses a roadmap. It’s a huge change and you need to navigate the waters well. If you do you will benefit as much as your loved one. Good luck.

The unstuffed cabbage rolls sound good. Believe it or not I’ve never made any type of cabbage roll. I have however been using deli roast beef for my cheese steak for a while. I just get the really rare meat and then heat it for a few Seconds in a skillet. I’ve never tried mixing cream cheese in it though. That sounds interesting. I like to make Philly cheesesteak stuffed peppers when I trying to be good. I bet the cream cheese would sorta hold the mixture down into the pepper better. I wish I could try it now. I suppose I could make it for my hubby and puree mine. My AC miraculously came back on last nigjt after two hours of flashing an error code and not working. It just started back up- so weird. We don’t dare touch it because we don’t believe it’s fixed but it’s cheaper to have someone come check it during the week. My husband is going to tell them the error code it was giving tomorrow and just see if there is anything they need to do. Maybe it is fine. That would be a nice break since it’s just barely out of warranty now plus I won’t habe to deal with the workers being here. I’m still thinking about them cabbage rolls. After the purée tuna was gross to me I kinda thought purée meat was gonna be a no go. Was it good? I’m sure iit helped that it was in the sauce and all that too. I was looking at another ricotta recipe that had chicken and spinach that was a casserole with cheese as well I was considering for my early soft food stage. I think it had artichoke hearts too. It was on Pinterest. They actually have a-lot of recipes under high protein low fat and high protein bariatric recipes. One thimg I forgot about is adding to the plain Greek yogurt. The ranch or French onion soup mix or PB2 to make dips. I added that and some peeled apples and a seedless cucumber to my shopping list for soft foods with the ranch and the PB dip in mind. I think the dry onions should wait for regular foods but it is really good so I mentioned it.

Oof, I'm still on cardio and working in light resistance training with bands (no weights yet). I keep re-straining my abdomen just doing simple things like twisting slightly when bending to get something out of a drawer at my desk, so my team has cautioned me not to start any actual weights until that pain leaves and stays gone for at least a week. :S My Monday is doing pretty good, but my weekend was awful (hormones, heightened body dysmorphia, heightened reaction to thinning patches of hair). This morning though, I found one of my matte eyeshadows is just the right colour to hide the most noticeable thin patch at my temple; I lost more weight this week than last even while fighting menstrual hormones and emotions; and several regular customers have complimented me this morning about both my hair and weightloss so even if I can't look at myself in the mirror without anguish, at least I'm getting some external confirmation that a lot of it is in my head. (@Bypass2Freedom I hope you're keeping an eye on your blood pressure too! After losing as much weight as you have already, it's not abnormal for blood pressure to lower even if it wasn't an active problem for you pre-op. Just make sure you stand up / raise your torso & head slowly after you've been exercising for a while)

Wow. I concur with @ms.sss. You did get the short end of the stick. I had the sleeve for years and then I had a revision to RNY (~3 years) and I don't have any of those issues. In fact, I can't even think of any negatives. Except if I eat too fast, it may cause the foamies. I'm so sorry you're going through all that. I have no problem with my vitamins, I wear a MV patch and sometimes I'll take high ADEK chewable. My vitamin A was slightly low so that's why I started taking the high ADEK a few times a week. I also never heard of cold sores lower immunity and fungal infections... Etc. after WLS. I sure hope things and improve for you.

Heya! I can imagine you are probably feeling all kinds of nervous right now which is completely normal! When I went home after 2 nights in the hospital, I was definitely tired so I prioritised my rest if I am honest! 1) To be honest, I didn't! I drank as much as I could but I know I was under my 2l target, and honestly at that point so soon after surgery, it is really hard to drink 😅 Well, for me anyway! Just remember that it is only temporary and as the weeks go on, it will get easier to reach those targets! Prioritise your rest if you need it, and then every time you wake up, have some sips of water. 2) Genuinely, I didn't feel hungry at all post-surgery, and even now I feel only vaguely hungry and that has only just started returning. As @Arabesque said, it will more than likely be head-hunger so finding a distraction will be ideal! 3) You can do this Just remember your reasons why and the rest will follow.

I'm 5 yrs out from byoass/11 yrs out from sleeve and at goal. I've been adminning a small WLS board since I inherited it in 2015 - we have a close group of mostly ladies (a couple of gents) and most of our people are fairly far out from surgery but we do have a few newbies. We do 2 Weightloss Challenges a yr and they're pretty fun, We have 3 prizes and they're decent prizes. 6 wks long, % of lbs lost, weekly weigh ins, rules - the whole sha-bang. Lots of support. The last challenge, I was going thru some stuff and I let life get in the way and while it went off without a hitch, as my co-admins are amazing, it wasn't the same as usual. I promised everybody the summer challenge would be GREAT! I started working on it (yes, I have help from my co admins) and I have daily education, Fun Food Facts, I do something where I ask everyone to say something supportive to someone they don't know well, and I try to do small weekly challenges. It hard doing everything online. I do a hydration challenge, a moving challenge (try to park a little further, put in a few more steps in ur day), no fast food for 7 days , no snacking for 7 days, do (however many) crunches (however many) wall push ups, etc. You get the idea. The challenges are getting stale. Thinking about doing a "take ur pic in an outfit on day 1 and on last day and see how it looks" challenge. If you were in an online challenge, what would you appreciate doing? What would be fun? What kind of information would u like to see or know? What kind of support would you like to see or get? If you'd like to get involved, you r more than welcome to join us! It starts July 24 and goes 6 week. I will be posting info on it on the website in the coming weeks but u can certainly do a search on challenges and bring up a TON of them! We're on Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/groups/SupportWLS (or look for Recipe For A New Life). We'd love to have you, however you DO need to be 6 weeks out from surgery (for fairness, as you lose a TON of weight early on, not quite fair). But you can certainly come over and support the challengers!

Honestly this has been the absolute bane of my life. I am 4 weeks post-surgery and although I seem to be having a bowel movement every day or every other day, I was so so constipated. TMI here but It got to the point that I had an anal fissure and was passing blood every time I had a bowel movement. Needless to say, I am taking daily Dulcolax now and I will be doing so until I am able to eat more & include more fibre in my diet.

Lots of nerves were cut during your surgery so the messages/signals you used to feel around your eating rather aren’t getting through or are distorted. It’s why it’s so important to stick to the portion sizes and timing for eating/drinking you’ve been given. It takes about 8 weeks to fully recover from the surgery & the nerves are healed. It’s then too that you may start to feel your restriction (a tightness across your upper chest). It’s a good opportunity to become more aware of more subtle signals around having had enough or too much to eat or drink. I still ask myself do I need the next bite or sip or do I just want it & I’m five years out. Also when your signals do come back you may notice they’re different. Sneezing, runny nose, hiccups, etc can all be your new signals for having eaten or drunk enough. A gurgling tummy,or hunger pangs aren’t in most cases a signal you are hungry. They’re usual a signal that your digestive system is working. I don’t know why but the gurgling & growling seems much louder after surgery. Mine are very loud & yes I still get them (it’s happening now). I say I have a poltergeist in my tummy, rumbling, grumbling, squelching & rattling the chains. My younger nieces & nephew think it’s hilarious! All the best with your recovery.